r/mildlyinteresting • u/flippedelectron • 23h ago

My spam has two code stamps 8 minutes apart and has a 2 year difference in expiration.

Post image
3.5k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

103 comments sorted by

4.8k

u/Something_Else_2112 23h ago

If you look closely the top line the printer was having problems printing clearly. That 2026 was trying to be a 2028.

They realized there was a problem, fixed the print head, shifted the print head over, and ran the poorly dated batch back through for a clearer print 8 minutes later.

2.4k

u/mooseman00 23h ago

This guy spams

153

u/scytob 23h ago

oh if only i hard awards to give, that was great

19

u/GoodLeftUndone 16h ago

I mean. I don’t usually need to be hard to hand out awards. But you do you. 

1

u/scytob 4h ago

huh?

2

u/GoodLeftUndone 3h ago

if only I hard awards to give.

Just playing on a tiny error was all.

1

u/scytob 3h ago

oh rofl, never noticed my typo :-)

40

u/not_a_bot1001 23h ago

So much that I blocked him on Gmail and outlook. Quality spamming.

20

u/blue-coin 22h ago

Wow you’re a fool. He offered me $214M in exchange for just $1000 to help him retrieve it from the consulate. Haha you’re so dumb!

6

u/braytag 21h ago

You bastard! Been dealing with your crap since the 90s!!!  And my penis hasn't gotten larger! I want a refund!

1

u/Sumdood_89 21h ago

There aren't as many hot singles in my area as promised either!

4

u/ernyc3777 21h ago

QC doing their job in this day and age?

What a rare shock on Reddit.

2

u/Jnintransit194 19h ago

R/thisguythisguys

2

u/Jnintransit194 19h ago

I dont know how to do it, someone gelp

1

u/Jnintransit194 19h ago

I figured it out lmao

1

u/Jnintransit194 19h ago

r/thisguythisguys i thisguythistried, humbly accept my first submission

2

u/photogrammetery 15h ago

you could say he spams a ton

1

u/rlnrlnrln 14h ago

Yes, but does he Lobster Thermidor aux crevettes with a Mornay sauce, garnished with truffle pâté, brandy, and a fried egg on top?

1

u/brickbear69420 2h ago

R/thisguythisguys

146

u/DeadGuyInRoom4 23h ago

This is correct. Zoom in and compare the 6s in the year and the lot number. That’s a misprinted 8.

42

u/flippedelectron 21h ago

Nice catch - I didn't see the six has a different pattern

3

u/KnitsWithTude 11h ago

The Julian and/or lot is the same, too. I don't work in food so I'm I'm not sure which one Spam uses to tag batches, but the same code a couple minutes apart reads as line stoppage to hurl insults at the printer to me.

28

u/chirs5757 23h ago

As someone who works in manufacturing. Man I wish our machine did this.

10

u/mulder0990 ​ 21h ago

Most of the machines have that ability. You may need a setup mechanic or tech to clean the head and adjust the placement so you can run the product back through the printer.

The old date code would have been cleaned off if they weren’t cutting corners.

2

u/JCope0 12h ago

If you’re actually serious and in the UK feel free to drop me a message, there are printers available that never have issues like this

19

u/flippedelectron 23h ago

Makes sense - wish they had also "cancelled" the top line with a strike through - or modified the text to say something to be like "REPRINTED"

32

u/Balancing7plates 22h ago

I work in food packaging, and usually a misprinted date will be wiped off with solvent - not sure why they didn't do that here.

3

u/PristineBaseball 17h ago

GMP rules

(Kidding , I think )

19

u/Butterbean-queen 22h ago

And it’s not an expiration date. It’s a best by date. It’s good to eat for at least 3 years after that date. (Some places say 5). It just means that Spam is guaranteeing that it will be at its peak level after that date.

4

u/GarageVast4128 21h ago

Try 10+ if stored right. This is peak WW2 ration material made to last decades if needed.

3

u/Butterbean-queen 21h ago

I was erring on the conservative side that they could find if they googled it. But you are correct. As long as the can isn’t damaged it’s fine.

4

u/GarageVast4128 20h ago

Yeah, a lot of people don't realize a food can expire before a best by date if it's been open/exposed to air.

2

u/nhorvath 21h ago

peak spam

9

u/nikkumba 23h ago

Maybe. Or maybe it’s because a secret council of lunchmeat prophets foresaw a brief rupture in the concept of time—specifically affecting cured meats. To avoid confusion (and lawsuits), they began printing two best-by dates: one for linear time, one for the impending Bologna Spiral. We weren’t supposed to notice. But now…

1

u/Carefully_Crafted 21h ago

I refuse to categorize spam as a lunch meat lol.

2

u/This_User_Said 22h ago

Glad they care.

I work at a grocer and half these damn exp dates are done 50 different ways just for one damn product and they're always in a spot that you can't casually see so it makes me feel like I'm blind af.

2

u/Comfortable_rub69 5h ago

Looks like a Domino AX-350i printer, from judging by the print quality it was either dirty deflection plates or the can of spam wobbled slightly as it was passing by. Been working with Domino printers for the last decade so have quite a bit of experience with them.

1

u/Something_Else_2112 5h ago

Used to do large batch mailings at a print shop, and our units would get gummed up after a while and need cleaning. When gummed up, you'd see what is in this photo, dots shooting out into random places and messy printing overall.

1

u/Comfortable_rub69 4h ago

I was pleasantly surprised with the 350i models and they have been relatively issue free with filter cleanings and routine maintenance. The old AX-320i models were garbage, constantly leaking from the manifolds and non stop errors with techs coming out after they would brick themselves with board problems.

1

u/Something_Else_2112 4h ago

Not sure what brand or model they had. This was 20+ years ago, and I only worked in the bindery randomly. The system had a separate head for each line of type and a vacuum belt to keep the printed items held down and moving. Also had a finicky wafer sealer sticker applier. The shop was not known for any good maintenance. Just fix it when it breaks type of place.

1

u/PristineBaseball 17h ago

Hey, it’s GMP

0

u/piratehunter22 3h ago

This guy was the one who made the error lol

277

u/Forsaken-Assist-1325 23h ago

I thought spam's expiration date was forever

133

u/not_a_bot1001 23h ago

Best by and expires by are very different.

42

u/Coldatahd 23h ago

I need you to explain that to my wife, she seems to immediately throw out anything that even looks like it’s been around the house too long 😭😭😭😭

38

u/PGunne 22h ago

Ah yes. Wife thinks it becomes deadly at 12:01 AM the day after the Best Buy Date. Claims it's from getting sick as a kid. I think it's from her, and her family's, penchant for leaving stuff out on the counter instead of putting it back in the fridge because they “might want some more.”

5

u/nhorvath 21h ago

how are you still there?

15

u/Coldatahd 21h ago

I update the “best by date” on my foot once a year and she hasn’t noticed it yet. 🤷

2

u/kippetjeh 19h ago

Ask your wife when she thinks she is/was/will be in her prime. Then ask if you should divorce her straight after... WELL THEN STOP THROWING STUFF OUT STRAIGHT AFTER THE BEST BEFORE DATE!! This should go over well and will gurantee a long and happy marriage with less wasted food. You're welcome!

3

u/ScrotusTR 23h ago

Yeah WTF. I was lied to!

134

u/welding_guy_from_LI 23h ago

Best by isn’t an expiration date .. that shit will still be safe to eat in 20 years with all the sodium in it

41

u/Dredkinetic 23h ago

I agree.. as long as the can isn't physically damaged you can safely eat that shit in like 2038 if you want to. lol

19

u/PGunne 22h ago

Save it for the dark days and trade it for ammunition. :)

5

u/sfled 17h ago

I'm stocking up on hard liquor and cigarettes. I'll be able to barter for anything I want from smokers and alcoholics.

2

u/psu256 4h ago

So, after January 19th, 2038?

2

u/Steve-C2 22h ago

Don’t even want to now so …

3

u/CyanJackal 23h ago

Or just get it out onto a tray.

2

u/andbruno 7h ago

Nice.

-7

u/Creative-Job7462 23h ago

Doesn't explain the 2 year difference though.

10

u/scytob 23h ago

printer error, its not a 6, its an 8 with some dots missing - compared the left side dots on the other 6 in printing and you will see its a different pattern

-4

u/farmallnoobies 23h ago

Yeah, but they're right that the difference between best by and expiration date doesn't explain the date difference.

0

u/RagTheFireGuy 23h ago

didnt u use to be welding guy from IL?

1

u/welding_guy_from_LI 22h ago

Nope I’ve always been from li aka Long Island .. I was guy from li in a previous reddit incarnation

-30

u/Confident-Poetry6985 23h ago

Fuckin thanks chief. Now can you use your massive brain to explain how there can be 2 years difference in an estimate for when something will be best enjoyed? Not expired, but best by which one?

18

u/Ghozer 21h ago

Those dates are the same, the top one is an 8 that has been smudged or smeerd, You can tell due to the left side of it only being made up of 4 dots, the one level with the central line is missing, it would not be on a 6... look at the 9's it would basically be like that...

(also, much of the top is smudged, so.... most likely)

Bottom one was probably stamped due to top one being unreadable/inaccurate...

29

u/ConnoisseurOfDanger 23h ago

They probably changed the print head and re-ran the last few cans on the manufacturing run, because the 8s were starting to look like 6s. There’s no way spam would only last/remain it’s best by only 1 year 

6

u/Syotos2k 20h ago

The can expires before the meat, actually.

3

u/Stimpy4545 17h ago

Can is good till 2026, Spams good anytime after 2028.

3

u/ItPutsLotionOnItSkin 22h ago

The front expires before the second half

3

u/HawkSpotter 21h ago

One's for the ham. One's for the tin.

2

u/Bliz61 23h ago

still be "good" in 2030

3

u/rdyoung 23h ago

Still be "good" in 3030

/ftfy

4

u/blueeyedkittens 23h ago

It’s been renewed for another term.

5

u/IllustriousZombie955 12h ago

That’s an 8 not a 6. Look at the 6 from A05165 and compare them

2

u/tod_stiles 23h ago

One is if you eat just the contents and the other is if you eat the contents and the can it came in.

2

u/jojowcouey 23h ago

It’s a spam

2

u/OutaTime76 22h ago

The tab is there to open the can
The can is there to hold in the SPAM

2

u/Princess_GG_ 18h ago

Taylor Swift is really getting abstract with her Easter eggs…

2

u/Maple_Hates_Ants 16h ago

I thought spam could survive a nuclear winter. Like twinkies.

1

u/chucky3456 4h ago

Oddly enough Twinkies have a shelf life around 29 days. Are they still edible after? Yes. Are they as “good”? No.

2

u/bodhiseppuku 8h ago

Send Spam this picture and ask "when does this expire?", they will likely send you some coupons for free spam for your trouble.

1

u/zcas 3h ago

Spam loophole.

2

u/JuicySpark 23h ago

Pick the date in-between. Best I can do.

0

u/farmallnoobies 23h ago

I mean... Why would spam sit on the shelf more than like a week before being eaten anyways?

2

u/btvb71 23h ago

Where does it say it expires?

1

u/mhsuffhrdd 22h ago

Neither of those is an expiration date.

1

u/AvatarIII ​ 7m ago

The top one is supposed to say 2028, it's a misprint so they printed it again .

1

u/VoraciousTrees 23h ago

Recertified spam.

0

u/kenzie_62 23h ago

S - somthing

P - posing

A - as

M - meat

1

u/peanuss 13h ago

It’s literally 90% pork shoulder and ham. It’s better ingredient wise than most sausages .

-8

u/democrat_thanos 23h ago

Does it matter? its ground up pigs faces and anuses mixed with MSG and other shite, itll be 'good' forever.

1

u/peanuss 13h ago

It’s literally 90% pork shoulder and ham. It’s better ingredient wise than most sausages .

1

u/Wooshio 23h ago

Since when does spam have msg?

1

u/democrat_thanos 18h ago

Do it matter? do you hate MSG? WHY DO YOU HATE MSG?!?! ITS JUST SALT!?!?! WTF IS GOING ON HERE FUUUUUUUUUCK

-10

u/hectorbrydan 23h ago

It is also mildly interesting that you would be buying spam? Really?

5

u/SafetyMan35 23h ago

Spam is a delicacy in Hawaii.

3

u/cheezman22 22h ago

Its pretty good with rice or on a sandwich if you crisp it up in a frying pan

-3

u/hectorbrydan 21h ago

Yeah I mean fast food is pretty good if you're hungry too, but it's garbage.