Say Cheese Mickey…
01/20/2007 @ 2:00 pm
From the desk of Mainichi News, cheese products were served to customers at a restaurant at Tokyo Disneyland on Thursday despite having expired the previous day, officials admitted.Officials of the Oriental Land Co., which runs the Tokyo Disneyland in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, said that 18 pieces of expired cheese were served as part of course dishes at the theme park’s Eastside Cafe.
No customers have reported any sign of illness.
The restaurant took stock of the cheese products from a wholesaler on December 29th.
I love the Japanese fetish over expiration dates.
I buy great non-export beers from Belgium, Germany, and the UK for a dime on the dollar (or about 60 yen) because their expiration date is imminent.
Please continue to tell friends and family that previously good products will become suddenly toxic on their expiration date, and possibly even before that. If they happen to be expensive cheeses or other gourmet products, send them to me for safe disposal.
So far as the processed cheese-type stuff that they probably use at Disneyland, it will be as edible in 100 years as it is now.
January 20th, 2007 at 10:12 pmGhoti, the dates are just there to make sure the companies can’t get sued, right?
Anyway, anyone knows who sets them in Japan?
January 21st, 2007 at 1:31 pmAs far as I know, the government sets maximum limits. If your food is unique, then there is room to negotiate. I know the dates are at least 30% earlier than the expected storage life for many products. That said, poorly stored items will go bad well before the expiration date. Well stored products will last well beyond.
When my wife complains, I tell her that the date doesn’t indicate when the product becomes dangerous to eat. In most cases, the food simply loses its best flavor and texture.
You have probably eaten fresh onions that are over a year old without knowing it, even here in Japan.
I used to know a store that sold “expired” wine at 100 yen per bottle. Hard to go wrong there.
January 21st, 2007 at 3:37 pm