Yep, most of those are just "best taste guaranteed by"....it has nothing to do with them going "bad" or being "edible", just may not taste as good. I remember finding some canned pears that were 5 years old in the pantry months ago. Knowing this (about the dates), I tasted it before throwing it out. It was a little off, but if I was starving, I would have scarfed it down in a heartbeat.