What goes wrong

The date was moved with the food

On this page14

The date was written on the new container And the conditions did not come with it This property draws no conclusion from that The date was read as a property of the food A day was expected And the criteria were read as spoilage Which is clumping, and a container causes it The nutrient criterion was read as about the product And light was ignored The other federal date rules were assumed And five of six leaves have no label at all And the original container was discarded Write the conditions next to the date References

A date and its conditions are one statement.

The date was written on the new container

Which copies a number selected under the conditions of handling, storage, preparation and use prescribed by the original label directions.

And the conditions did not come with it

A transfer is handling, and the new container is the storage. Two of the four conditions changed in one act.

This property draws no conclusion from that

Nothing here says what a household may do with formula or with any food. The mechanism is the content.

The date was read as a property of the food

It is a prediction about the food under a stated regime, supported by tests or other information.

A day was expected

The regulation specifies a month and a year, which is coarser than people assume a food date to be.

And the criteria were read as spoilage

The first is nutrient content at consumption and the second is acceptable quality, with passing through an ordinary bottle nipple as the example.

Which is clumping, and a container causes it

A formula container that admits moisture produces exactly that failure, and there are 5 sealing discs among the 245 closures here.

The nutrient criterion was read as about the product

It is each nutrient, as set forth on its label. One that degrades fastest sets the date.

And light was ignored

52 of the 176 containers are clear, which is the commonest single color on a shelf where a nutrient claim depends on what survives storage.

The other federal date rules were assumed

Nothing on these pages states what other federal date labeling requirements exist or do not exist. Only 107.20(c) is quoted.

And five of six leaves have no label at all

Which is the honest position: for household storage the date is whatever somebody writes, and our containers prescribe nothing.

And the original container was discarded

Which takes the directions with it. The date and the four conditions it depends on were printed in one place.

Write the conditions next to the date

Which is the transferable lesson, and it is free.

References

21 CFR 107.20(c) requires on the label of an infant formula a "Use by ______" date, "the blank to be filled in with the month and year selected by the manufacturer, packer, or distributor of the infant formula on the basis of tests or other information showing that the infant formula, until that date, under the conditions of handling, storage, preparation, and use prescribed by label directions, will: (1) when consumed, contain not less than the quantity of each nutrient, as set forth on its label; and (2) otherwise be of an acceptable quality (e.g., pass through an ordinary bottle nipple)." Nothing on these pages states what other federal date labeling requirements exist or do not exist. law.cornell.edu

The Davis Pack Supply catalog, measured 19 October 2026. 421 rows: 176 containers and 245 closures. 125 to 7,571 mL with a median of 473. 109 PET, 45 PP, 20 HDPE and 2 glass. 129 jars, 24 tubs and pails, 23 bottles. 83 PET single wall jars, 18 PP single wall jars, 16 PP round tubs, 6 double wall round base jars, and 5 each of plastic square grip containers, double wall straight base jars, PE wide mouth containers and PET packer bottles. 52 clear, 44 white, 24 natural, 20 amber, 16 black, 11 blue, 7 green, 1 dark amber. Necks: 75 at 89-400, 31 at 70-400, 25 unrecorded, 9 at 110-400, 7 at 53-400, 5 at 120TT, 4 at 120-400, 3 at 100-400. Closures: 174 continuous thread polypropylene lids, 29 metal or aluminum CT caps, 16 dome lids, 11 round tub lids, 5 sealing discs, 3 plastic round pail lids, 2 phenolic, 1 plug seal lid, 1 metal lug or twist cap, 1 tamper evident lid. Buyability, a snapshot: 105 of 176 available, 71 not; 72 quote only; 18 full case only, with case packs from 16 to 3,150 and a median of 208.

Written from 21 CFR 107.20(c) and from the catalog as it stood on 19 October 2026. Nothing here says what other federal date labeling requirements exist, how long any leftover keeps, or whether any container is microwave, dishwasher or oven safe: a published temperature range is not one of those statements and only a manufacturer can make them. The temperature range field is published on all 176 containers in this group and takes four values, of which only one, on two containers, spans a freezer and an oven.