3 ms·

I wish regulators stopped trying to be poetic and just use clear English. What's "best by?" You need to write "do not eat after." Nobody needs to be explained

by sureIy 2y ago

I wish regulators stopped trying to be poetic and just use clear English. What's "best by?" You need to write "do not eat after." Nobody needs to be explained what that means.

_visgean 2y ago
But thats the point, none of these actually mean that you cant eat it after te cutoff date.
- ghaff 2y ago
  That 5 year old box of unopened crackers will almost certainly not hurt you but they may not taste very good.
Dalewyn 2y ago
"Clear English" is using as few words as possible.
- sureIy 2y ago
  If they make sense yes, but clearly people don't understand this. When safety is on the line, the goal can't only be "as few words as possible"
  - Dalewyn 2y ago
    Here's something to blow your mind: Most Americans are not literate. Yes, I'm serious and I say that as a fellow American. We are not literate. So use as few words as possible and a date. Honestly we could probably do without the words, just the date.
    - teddyh 2y ago
      Is minified code easier to read? No. It’s the same with regular language; shorter sentences are not always more comprehensible.
      - Dalewyn 2y ago
        The likelihood an American will read something decreases with each word written. Seriously: We hate reading. The fewer words the better.
        teddyh 2y ago
        Maybe, but if increased concision also decreases comprehension, there is a balance to be struck, not just a value to optimize.
ensignavenger 2y ago
"best buy" is pretty plain English. It means the manufacturer beleives the product will be at its best up to that date.
- Fuzzwah 2y ago
  But you submitted "best buy" rather than "best by". Sort of invalidates your point.
  - EasyMark 2y ago
    it doesn't though since we all know what they meant. We all know the store doesn't use "best buy" except on coupons or sales circulars or it's a store named Best Buy.
EasyMark 2y ago
"best by" and "do not eat after" are not the same thing. Best by just means optimal freshness. Maybe you're thinking of "use by". "Sell by" is the thing giving people issues, as the food is still good but it's time for the -store- to rotate it out of inventory because it's not going to be as fresh after that date, and that leads to complainy customers.
OJFord 2y ago
None of them means 'do not eat after'.

by sureIy 2y ago

I wish regulators stopped trying to be poetic and just use clear English. What's "best by?" You need to write "do not eat after." Nobody needs to be explained what that means.

_visgean 2y ago

But thats the point, none of these actually mean that you cant eat it after te cutoff date.

ghaff 2y ago
That 5 year old box of unopened crackers will almost certainly not hurt you but they may not taste very good.

Dalewyn 2y ago

"Clear English" is using as few words as possible.

sureIy 2y ago
If they make sense yes, but clearly people don't understand this. When safety is on the line, the goal can't only be "as few words as possible"
- Dalewyn 2y ago
  Here's something to blow your mind: Most Americans are not literate. Yes, I'm serious and I say that as a fellow American. We are not literate. So use as few words as possible and a date. Honestly we could probably do without the words, just the date.
  - teddyh 2y ago
    Is minified code easier to read? No. It’s the same with regular language; shorter sentences are not always more comprehensible.
    - Dalewyn 2y ago
      The likelihood an American will read something decreases with each word written. Seriously: We hate reading. The fewer words the better.
      - teddyh 2y ago
        Maybe, but if increased concision also decreases comprehension, there is a balance to be struck, not just a value to optimize.

ensignavenger 2y ago

"best buy" is pretty plain English. It means the manufacturer beleives the product will be at its best up to that date.

Fuzzwah 2y ago
But you submitted "best buy" rather than "best by". Sort of invalidates your point.
- EasyMark 2y ago
  it doesn't though since we all know what they meant. We all know the store doesn't use "best buy" except on coupons or sales circulars or it's a store named Best Buy.

EasyMark 2y ago

"best by" and "do not eat after" are not the same thing. Best by just means optimal freshness. Maybe you're thinking of "use by". "Sell by" is the thing giving people issues, as the food is still good but it's time for the -store- to rotate it out of inventory because it's not going to be as fresh after that date, and that leads to complainy customers.

OJFord 2y ago

None of them means 'do not eat after'.