Okay, get this: in some places, it’s the law. Water is considered a food product. And food products must have an expiration date. It’s not about safety; it’s about bureaucracy.
Hot Water Bottles Have Expiry Date at David Velasquez blog
Imagine the chaos. “Officer, I found a water bottle from 2019!” “Quick, call the FDA!” Eye roll. It’s just paperwork. The government wants a date on the label so they can track things, even if the product is chemically immortal.
So, a lot of those dates are manufacturer quality guarantees, not safety warnings. They’re saying, “Hey, we promise the plastic won’t taste weird until this date.” After that? The bottle is on its own.
But What If It’s Glass?
If you buy water in a glass bottle, you’ve basically won the lottery. Glass doesn’t degrade. It doesn’t leach. It’s the immortal warrior of the hydration world. That expiration date is 100% theater.
Seriously, you could find a glass bottle of water in a time capsule in 2070, and it would be fine. It might taste a little… vintage… but it’s safe. Marketers just slap a date on it so you don’t freak out.
So, next time you see that date on a glass bottle, give it a little wink. You two are in on the joke.
