A Cross-Cultural Exploration

of Attitudes toward Product

Expiration Dates
Talha Harcar
Pennsylvania State University at Beaver

Fahri Karakaya
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

ABSTRACT

This is an exploratory study examining consumer attitudes toward

product expiration dates in three different countries, the United
States, Canada, and Turkey. In addition, the study investigates the
differences in the importance of product expiration dates for three
products, yogurt, over-the-counter medicine, and camera film, in the
three cultures. A total of 687 surveys were gathered in the three coun-
tries. The results show that there are, indeed, differences among the
consumers in three countries. American and Canadian consumers
check product expiration dates before purchasing and before using
products more often than Turkish consumers. Although most of the
differences observed are between the respondents in Turkey versus
the respondents in the United States and Canada, some differences
between the U.S. and Canadian respondents are also found, indicat-
ing that culture plays an important role in consumer uncertainty
avoidance. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The paper or plastic sticker attached to a can of soup, soft drink, or a jar
of mayonnaise is in principle called a label. Labeling is a subset of pack-
aging and is an integral part of a typical package. An explicit label can
play an important role in capturing the attention of consumers and help

Psychology & Marketing, Vol. 22(4): 353–371 (April 2005)

Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com)
© 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. DOI: 10.1002/mar.20063
353
promote a product. A label carries an item’s brand name or symbol, the
name and address of the producer or distributor, information about the
product ingredients and size, information relating to safety and proper
use of the product, recommended uses, cooking instructions, instruction
for proper disposal, and expiration and/or production date.
Government-mandated and voluntary label standards have been devel-
oped in most industries in developed countries. For example, in the United
States most consumer products delivered to the market are required to
be packaged and labeled. In fact, The Nutrition Labeling and Education
Act of 1990 imposes a uniform format, in which food manufacturers must
disclose nutritional information about their products. Additionally, the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has instructed design standards
for nutritional labeling that provide comprehensive guidelines to con-
sumers about food products. In Canada, labels must provide informa-
tion both in French and English. Again in Canada, tobacco product pack-
ages contain pictures of diseased lungs and other similar items, using fear
appeals for consumers.
Consumers read labels for a number of reasons, product expiration
dates being one of them. The topic of product expiration dates is an impor-
tant social issue that influences all consumers regarding consumer pro-
tection, safety, and product freshness. Recently, consumer groups in the
United States and other countries have lobbied for additional labeling
laws to require “open dating” in addition to “expiration dates” already
present on most packages. Open dating is slightly different from the prod-
uct expiration date in that it represents when a product was manufactured
and was to be sold or used. In contrast, the expiration date means that the
product in question may have lost its potency or useful life.
Although many consumers recognize the potential seriousness of using
out-of-date products, they lack information on the meaning of expiration
dates. Most people are aware of the existence of expiration dates on pack-
ages or sometimes inside packages, but they do not always pay atten-
tion or read the expiration dates carefully. The expiration dates may not
be noticeable, or consumers may feel that the expiration dates for certain
products are not important. The magnitude of perceived risk (Murray &
Schlacter, 1990; Severson, Slovic, & Hampson, 1993) and previous expe-
rience with a product (Weber & Milliman, 1997) are likely conditions
that influence consumers to check the product expiration dates. It is crit-
ical that manufacturers understand the importance of not selling out-of-
date products. The practice of selling out-of-date products will diminish
consumer confidence in a brand and in the store that sells it. Many com-
panies have come to realize the importance of freshness and accuracy of
product expiration dates. Thus, companies attempt to make expiration
dates more easily noticeable and readable. Some even use them as a pro-
motional tool. Pepsi Cola’s 1994 television commercial showing the expi-
ration date on the bottom of Pepsi cans was a good example of such use
(Magiera & DeNitto, 1994).

354 HARCAR AND KARAKAYA

 This study examines, in an exploratory manner, the attitudes of con-
sumers toward expiration dates on product labels. The study includes
analysis of three different product categories and the importance placed
on the expiration dates by consumers. Consumer attitudes and percep-
tions about product expiration dates are also compared to explore pos-
sible differences in the United States, Canada, and Turkey.

EXPIRATION DATES ON PRODUCT LABELS

A recent Consumer Review Report from A. C. Nielson Company indi-

cates that 91% of the consumers surveyed in the United States claimed
that they were aware of the product expiration dates on product pack-
ages. The same study also showed that 88% percent of the consumers
always or frequently look for this type of information. Yet, most of the con-
sumers could not distinguish between use-by and sell-by terminology
(Falkman, 2002).
Consumers who are most likely to read labels are older, economically
well off, and have a higher-than-average level of education. According to
the 1990 Food Marketing Institute’s Trends Survey conducted in the
United States, 72% of people always read labels to check product expi-
ration dates (Mueller, 1991). However, people who live in the Midwest
were less likely to check for expiration dates, while those in the warmer
climates, such as the South, were most likely to check for expiration
dates. In addition, women were more inclined to read labels than men.
In another study, Williamson, Gravani, and Lawless (1992) found that con-
sumers under 35 years of age knew little about food-safety terms and
concepts compared to those over 35. In a poll conducted for the Wall
Street Journal by NPD Group Inc. of Port Washington, NY, 70% of 1,000
respondents said they probably would not use a prescription drug after
its expiration date; 72% stated the same for an over-the-counter remedy
(Cohen, 2000).
The Food and Drug Administration has conducted surveys for the pur-
pose of redesigning food labels. In addition, officials at CFSAN’s (Center
for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition), Office of Nutritional Products, and
Labeling & Dietary Supplements plan to hold public hearings on vali-
dation of manufacturing processes and analytical methods as well as on
expiration date of products versus “use before” recommendations. Small
supplement makers protest the strict validation policies and claim that
they are unnecessary and costly. Thus, they object to the extensive sta-
bility testing needed to set expiration dates. Nevertheless, once the FDA
adopts final GMPs (good manufacturing practice regulations), it plans to
establish an inspection program to ensure industry compliance.
The use of expiration dates has proven to be especially important in
the pharmaceutical industry. Some pharmaceutical companies volun-
tarily began placing expiration dates on medicines in the 1960s. The

ATTITUDES TOWARD PRODUCT EXPIRATION DATES 355

FDA began requiring such labeling in 1979. This resulted in setting uni-
form testing and reporting guidelines. Currently, the FDA requires so-
called stability testing, which analyzes the capacity of a medicine to
maintain its identity, strength, quality, and purity for whatever period the
manufacturer specifies.
At the present time, government regulations and consumer prefer-
ences indicate that proper coding placed on over-the-counter medicines
and other medical products are more important than ever. The FDA acted
quickly when there was an increase in the number of mislabeled prod-
ucts in the 1980s. Regulations created stricter controls on the labeling of
prescription drugs, including the expiration dates (Hadden, 1991). Also,
the need for pharmaceutical coding was the result of consumer demand.
In Packaging Annual Consumer Surveys, over the past few years, the
results have consistently shown more than 85% of consumers look for a
code or an expiration date before purchasing a health-care-related prod-
uct (M. Larson & Spaulding, 1993). Health-care professionals advise
patients to discard medications past their labeled expiration dates, but
there is little information about the safety and the efficacy of such med-
icines. The expiration date does not mean, or even suggest, that the drug
will stop being effective, or become harmful after the expiration date.
According to a news report appearing in the Wall Street Journal, a law-
suit filed against the Walgreen Company in Chicago claimed that the
retailer systematically defrauded customers by placing expiration dates
on prescription-drug bottles that persuaded people to throw away drugs
early and replace them with new ones. The case seeks damages on behalf
of thousands of customers who were allegedly misled by the Walgreen “use
before” labels. Those labels had dates that were earlier than those set by
the drugs’ manufacturers (Burton, 2004).
The dilemma for the medication expiration dates is that Americans
spend more than $120 billion annually on prescription medicines (FDA
is asked, 2000) and think that, upon expiration, the prescriptions will
lose their potency and may even be harmful. Thus, they think they have
to discard them even if they cannot afford to do so. The Shelf Life Exten-
sion Program tests show that about 90% of over 100 drugs tested by the
FDA were safe and effective far past their original expiration dates (FDA
is asked, 2000).
In 1997, U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspectors found problems
at Vintage’s Charlotte and Huntsville plants. The Vintage Company
manufactures generic medications. The FDA claimed the company was
not taking proper steps to make sure that its products were safe, effec-
tive, and potent for as long as product packaging indicated. Vintage was
using 12-month expiration labels on a thyroid drug, even though inter-
nal analyses showed the tablets did not retain their strength that long.
In July 2004, a federal grand jury in Charlotte issued an indictment
against company officials alleging conspiracy, wire fraud, and the intro-
duction of misbranded and adulterated drugs into interstate commerce
(Stobbe, 2004).
356 HARCAR AND KARAKAYA
 Placing expiration dates on meats and fish is voluntary and is not sub-
ject to any laws or federal regulations. But seven of the nation’s largest
grocery store chains, operating more than 7,000 stores in nearly every
state, admitted to redating meats and fish after they had reached their
original sell-by date. All managers assured Dateline (the NBC television
program) that the redated meats were still fresh and were not harmful
to consumers. Regardless, the relabeling practice—and its apparent
prevalence—leads to serious skepticism on how some supermarkets
define date of expiration and/or sell by date (J. Larson, 2002).
Some supermarket chains have received much attention for selling
out-of-date products in the United States. For example, Food Lion was crit-
icized by the CUE (Consumer United with Employees), for selling out-
dated health-care and beauty products in 14 states (De Santa, 1995). In
May 1995, the CUE charged that it found out-of-date health-care-related
products in 70 Food Lion stores in 14 states. The CUE was able to pur-
chase 610 packages averaging 143 days beyond their expiration dates. In
fact, 12 of the products purchased had passed their expiration dates more
than a year earlier. CUE said that it found a number of outdated prod-
ucts for sale, including Children’s Tylenol and Sudafed, Robitussin Pedi-
atric Cough Suppressant, Dimetapp allergy medication, and Food Lion
Children’s Acetaminophen. In a release to the press, Food Lion explained,
“Food Lion acknowledges, as does every other retail food company, that
even the best control systems may not function perfectly, and a few iso-
lated out-of-date items may slip undetected through supermarkets food
handling controls. This is a fact of life in this industry, which handles
billions of items each year” (Matthews, 1995).
Food Lion also pointed the finger at its fellow retailers, Giant Food,
Kroger, Safeway, and Magruder’s, stating that they too were selling out-of-
date products. Food Lion employed a team of its own to do a study of its
competitors. According to Food Lion, in an ad-hoc survey that they con-
ducted, in the Greater Washington area alone, there were 742 out-of-date
products in 50 Safeway, Giant, and Magruder stores. The out-of-date items
included infant formula, children’s over-the-counter medicine, laxatives,
allergy medicine, and other items. According to Food Lion, all of the
Magruder stores surveyed had out-of-date items and the majority of the
Safeway and Giant stores did also. The list that Food Lion provided to Pro-
gressive Grocer showed that 21 of the Safeway stores inspected had no
out-of-date products. The 38 alleged stores that were selling out-of-date
products involved a single can of formula 1 day past its expiration date. Thir-
teen Giant stores were said to have been selling out-of-date products.
Twenty-eight other Giant stores were surveyed also, but no out-of-date
items were found. The release by Food Lion stated that out of the 742 out-
of-date items sold, 52 were over a year old, and of these, 14 were over 2 years
old. According to Food Lion, Safeway had 26 other out-of-date items. Food
Lion offered no details of how its research was conducted. Food Lion also
stated that a review of Kroger’s state inspection records for 2 years, in the
state of Georgia alone, showed 5,727 out-of-date items (Matthews, 1995).
ATTITUDES TOWARD PRODUCT EXPIRATION DATES 357
 In another case, prompted by a consumer complaint in January of
1999, investigators found more than 200 outdated products in about 50
of Rite Aid’s 660 stores in California. In fact, among the findings, some
of the condoms were 4 years past their expiration dates. Rite Aid was
then accused of selling products past their expiration dates in 50 Cali-
fornia stores (Rite Aid is accused, 1999). Prosecutors from Merced,
Alameda, and Santa Barbara counties and the city of San Diego filed a
consumer-protection lawsuit asking a judge to order Rite Aid to make
restitution to victims and to pay civil penalties in the amount of $2,500
for each expired item sold.
Clarke (2001) indicates that a national lender hired a consultant to
investigate a major distribution center for a canned-goods wholesaler.
Upon arrival, the consultant located himself at the receiving dock to sur-
vey what happened when products arrived. As merchandise was dropped
off, the forklift drivers raced to unload them. Later, when the inventory
was checked for freshness, it was discovered that hundreds of pallets of
canned goods were near their expiration dates because of poor rotation
in the warehouse. Keeping inventory records and shelf dates up to date
means weekly cycle counts and monthly physical inventories. The labor
and related expenses required to rotate products with different expira-
tion dates is considerable.
The importance of product expiration dates is also evident in the soft-
drink and the beer industries. A number of soft-drink marketers realized
this and responded with appropriate campaigns. The belief was that
when consumers notice the freshness dates on some items, they are likely
to question the ones that do not have the dates. As indicated earlier,
Pepsi attempted to capitalize on the importance of the freshness concept
in 1994. Eventually, freshness dates would appear on all Pepsi bever-
ages. Pepsi-Cola was also counting on the Federal Labeling and Nutri-
tion Act of 1994 in order to increase consumer awareness on informa-
tion concerning food and beverages. The taste-oriented campaign started
in March 1994 and cost $20–$30 million in media advertising and point-
of-purchase materials. The campaign was designed to introduce the con-
cept of freshness date over 8 weeks. The easily read freshness dates
stamped on the bottom of Pepsi cans guarantee that the beverages will
be at peak taste if consumed by the stamped date. Pepsi-Cola expected
that others in the soft-drink industry would follow their lead and adopt
a freshness-date campaign. However, Coca-Cola Company failed to fol-
low Pepsi’s lead, stating that freshness is a nonissue. Nevertheless, a
memo within the company stated that pro-freshness is the most impor-
tant consumer issue (Horton, 1994), and over-age products accounted for
one half of their consumer complaints. Diet sodas such as Diet Pepsi and
Diet Coke are sweetened with aspartame that loses its sweetness after
12 to 14 weeks. Thus, product freshness is an important concern to com-
panies marketing diet soda products as well as others.
The state of New York has recently proposed legislation concerning
product-freshness and expiration dates because of public concerns. The
358 HARCAR AND KARAKAYA
legislation would create strict standards for a number of items, includ-
ing safety dates. The labeling requirement would mean that “use by date”
be placed on food packages in a reduced-oxygen atmosphere. For the
products that are packaged at retail, the use-by date cannot exceed 14
days from retail packaging. In addition, the date assigned by a repacker
must not exceed the manufacturers’ pull date. The use-by date must be
printed clearly, so that it is easily noticeable and readable by the con-
sumers. The proposal gives the manufacturers the choice of combining
distributor coding. For example, the code could state “sell by November
25, 2003, use within 14 days of sell-by date.” The proposal states that
processed reduced-oxygen foods that exceed the use-by date or the man-
ufacturer’s pull date cannot be sold or given away; it must be destroyed
(Magiera & DeNitto, 1994).
As businesses realize the importance of product freshness, they try to
increase consumer awareness and readability of expiration dates in prod-
uct labels. A retailer named Globus Handelshof Gruppe made a name for
itself and increased sales by offering $3 to each customer who would find
a product past its freshness-expiration date (Miller, 1997). Another exam-
ple is a sophisticated laser-coding system that has been introduced by a
partnership between an over-the-counter drug maker, Miles, Inc., and
its supplier, Lasertechnics. The system is designed to enhance product
information and improve consumer awareness of expiration dates. Miles
Inc. introduced codes that were clear and understandable by consumers.
This change was determined to be more cost effective in the long run
over any other changes that could have been made.
Recently, RJ Reynolds also attempted to use the expiration date as
part of a marketing program. In a recent letter sent to retailers, RJ
Reynolds Company stated that it was revising all current retail pro-
grams “due to dramatic market place changes.” One of the precautions
taken by the company included the following: Instead of accepting returns
on expired cigarettes, RJR’s Winston and Camel representatives would
track expiration dates at retail accounts and send retailers POP coupons
for 40 cents off promoted brands and $1 off nonpromoted brands when
a product is 3 months away from the expiration date (Beirne, 2003).

CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND PRODUCT EXPIRATION

DATES

At the group or societal level, practices abroad should prevail if they con-
flict with the home-country norms. However, a dilemma surfaces when
the practices affect universal individual concerns such as consumer safety.
Assuming higher standards in the home country, the question is whether
these should be followed despite the risk of being perceived as having eth-
nocentric superiority or disrespect for cultural diversity. In this context,
others argue against the inevitability of cultural relativism (Donaldson,
1989). For instance, in the past, a product nearing its expiration date
ATTITUDES TOWARD PRODUCT EXPIRATION DATES 359
would be offered at a reduced cost to third-world countries with notice,
because those countries were not as concerned with product safety as
were developed countries.
The need for greater cross-cultural understanding of consumer behav-
ior has been noted by both international marketing practitioners and
researchers as essential for improving international-marketing efforts
(Briley, Morris, & Simonson, 2000; Hampton & Gent, 1984; Leach & Liu,
1998; McCort & Malhotra, 1993). Previous research has shown that dif-
ferences in value systems across various cultures appear to be associ-
ated with major differences in consumers’ behaviors (Grunert & Scher-
horn, 1990; McCracken, 1989; Tansuhaj, Joby, Manzer, & Cho, 1991).
However, explicit cross-cultural comparison of consumer behavior con-
cerning safety issues has been rare. An extensive literature review of
the topic showed no specific research on product expiration dates in a
cross-cultural setting as yet. One might expect that consumers from dif-
ferent cultures hold different views and attitudes toward product expi-
ration date issues. The objective of this exploratory research is to exam-
ine if consumers in three different cultures vary in their awareness and
in their attitudes towards product expiration dates.
Based on the foregoing literature review, it is expected that there would
be differences among the following aspects pertaining to product expi-
ration dates:

1. Examining product expiration dates before making a purchase

2. Examining product expiration dates before using a product
3. Attitudes toward the reliability of product expiration dates
4. Attitudes toward retailers’ refraining themselves from selling prod-
ucts past the expiration dates
5. Consumers’ having difficulty in finding the expiration dates on
product packages
6. Consumers’ beliefs that products approaching their expiration dates
should be sold at discounted prices
7. Attitudes toward imposing government fines on companies selling
products past their expiration dates
8. The importance placed on the expiration dates of products
9. Consumers’ reactions to an already purchased product with an
expired date.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The data for this study were collected through self-administered per-
sonal questionnaires in Brandon, Canada, southeastern Massachusetts,
and Istanbul, Turkey. The areas selected for the study in Canada and
the United States are representative of the population when considering

360 HARCAR AND KARAKAYA

the demographical variables. On the other hand, Istanbul, a large met-
ropolitan area with over 10 million people, is representative of the met-
ropolitan regions of the country, but is not representative of the rural
areas. Personal interviews were conducted by marketing research stu-
dents under the supervision of the researchers. The samples in Istanbul
and Brandon consisted of randomly selected households that were vis-
ited by interviewers. The sample in Massachusetts was selected using
mall intercept methodology. A total of 700 completed questionnaires were
collected, of which 687 were fully usable. The number of questionnaires
completed was as follows: 344 from Turkey, 243 from Canada, and 100
from the United States.
Before moving on to the interpretation of the survey data, a few points
about the data-collection process need to be clarified. In cross-cultural
research, two samples have to be closely matched in terms of the impor-
tant demographic and socio-economic characteristics (J. Berry, 1969; Bris-
lin & Baumgardner, 1971). However, this is usually very difficult to accom-
plish, especially in cases where all countries do not have similar living
standards, income, or educational systems. Thus, in this study, every
effort was made to match the samples on several demographic charac-
teristics: gender, marital status, and social class. In addition, age and
education were treated as covariates, and the results of the ANCOVA
indicated that they were not statistically significant.

Instrument
An interviewer-administered survey was constructed, containing ques-
tions that asked consumers whether they check the product expiration
dates before purchase, whether they check the expiration date before
using a product, their attitudes toward products with expired dates, and
the importance of expiration dates. In order to ensure the power of the
findings from this research, the design of the questionnaire followed the
principles of instrument design accepted within the academic community.
This included a rigorous process of generating appropriate items and
assessing their representativeness to the objectives of the study. The sur-
vey instrument was developed through an iterative process of item gen-
eration from the current packaging, labeling, and international con-
sumer-behavior literature.
The questionnaire was prepared in English for the U.S. and Canadian
samples because previous research has shown that respondents provide
more diverse and more reliable responses when answering in their native
language (Church, Katigbak, & Castaneda, 1988). It was translated into
Turkish for gathering data in Turkey. The commonly endorsed method
of backtranslation using native Turkish speakers was employed. A com-
pleted Turkish version was administered to 10 native Turkish-speaking
U.S. residents. Some items that were either confusing or poorly worded
were noted, and new translations were devised. Turkish students fluent

ATTITUDES TOWARD PRODUCT EXPIRATION DATES 361

in both Turkish and English reviewed this new questionnaire in Turkey.
Again, alterations to some items were made to express the concepts in
the most relevant local terminology. The items developed for the exam-
ination of the research propositions measured the subjects’ attitudes
about the expiration dates such as, “Product expiration dates manufac-
turers place on their packages are reliable.” A 4-point Likert scale rang-
ing from do not agree to totally agree was used to measure consumer
attitudes toward product expiration dates, and consumer behavior related
to expiration dates was measured with the use of a dichotomous scale:
“Do you check the expiration dates of products you buy?” and “Do you
check the expiration date before you use the product?” The importance
of expiration dates for three different groups of product categories (yogurt,
over-the-counter medicine, camera film) was explored for the U.S., Cana-
dian, and Turkish consumers. The survey also included questions about
respondents’ demographics, such as age, gender, and education.
In analyzing the data, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to
test the differences in attitudes toward expiration dates among the U.S.,
Canadian, and Turkish respondents. Attitudes were used as the depend-
ent variables and the countries (the United States, Canada, and Turkey)
were treated as factors. In order to account for the impact of age and
education as covariates, they were coded in such a way that they could
represent a metric scale. However, these covariates were statistically
significant only in a few instances. Therefore, they were dropped from sub-
sequent analysis and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was uti-
lized followed by Duncan’s multiple-range test, a post-hoc procedure. In
examining the effect of the country on the dichotomous variables (if con-
sumers check the expiration dates when they buy and before they use
products), chi-square statistics were calculated.

RESULTS

Differences in Three Cultures in This Study

Research results in this study are slightly different compared to the 1990
Food Marketing Institute’s Trends Survey conducted in the United States,
which determined that 72% of people always read labels to check prod-
uct expiration dates. The results of this study (Table 1) show that 62%
of the U.S. and 65% of the Canadian consumers check product expiration
dates before purchasing products. Turkish data showed a 30% difference
compared to the trend survey in the United States. Forty-two percent of
the Turkish consumers in this study check expiration dates of products
before purchasing them. To assess the statistical significance of differences
in the three cultures in checking expiration dates before buying and
before using products, cross tabulations and chi-square tests of associa-
tion were used. The results show that Canadian and American consumers

362 HARCAR AND KARAKAYA

differ from Turkish consumers in checking the expiration dates before pur-
chasing a product and before using a product (χ2 ⫽ 33.67, p ⫽ 0.00, and
χ2 ⫽ 65.07, p ⫽ 0.00, respectively). Consumers in similar cultural envi-
ronments such as the United States and Canada had similar responses,
but Turkish consumers did not place as much importance on product
expiration dates. Sixty-three percent of North American consumers check
expiration dates before they use products, compared to only 33% of the
Turkish consumers. The results support the previous research showing
that differences in value systems across various cultures are linked with
major differences in consumers’ behaviors (Grunert & Scherhorn, 1990;
McCracken, 1989; Tansuhaj et al., 1991).

Attitudes toward Product Expiration Dates in Different

Cultures
Although 68.3% of the all respondents combined in the three countries
in this study agree and totally agree that product expiration dates placed
on product packages are reliable, only 32% of the respondents agree that
retailers do not sell products past their expiration dates. Another possi-
ble interpretation is that 68% percent of the respondents believe that
retailers might sell products past their expiration dates. Similarly, 61%
of the respondents indicate that they agree and totally agree that it is dif-
ficult to find expiration dates on product packages. Fifty-four percent of

Table 1. Comparison of Consumers by Country for Checking Expiration

Dates of Products.
Consumer Behavior Related to Turkey United States Canada Total
Checking Product Expiration Dates
Do not check expiration dates of 199 38 85 322
products before purchasing 61.8% 11.8% 26.4% 100.0%
Within country 57.8% 38.0% 35.0% 46.9%

Check expiration dates of 145 62 158 365

products before purchasing 39.7% 17.0% 43.3% 100.0%
Within country 42.2% 62.0% 65.0% 53.1%

Chi square: 33.67, p ⴝ 0.00

Do not check expiration dates of 232 35 91 358

products before using 64.8% 9.8% 25.4% 100.0%
Within country 67.4% 35.0% 37.4% 52.1%

Check expiration dates of products 112 65 152 329

before using 34.0% 19.8% 46.2% 100.0%
Within country 32.6% 65.0% 62.6% 47.9%

Chi square: 65.07, p ⴝ 0.00

ATTITUDES TOWARD PRODUCT EXPIRATION DATES 363

the respondents state that they agree and totally agree with the idea
that a product nearing its expiration date should be sold at a lower price.
A small group of consumers (25.6%) agree that fines are justified against
companies selling products with expired dates. The vast majority cannot
decide (33.5%) or do not agree (40.9%) with this statement.
ANOVA showed that differences in attitudes toward product expira-
tion dates exist among Turkish, U.S., and Canadian consumers. Table 2
shows that seven of the eight items are statistically significant. Nation-
ality or culture has influence on attitudes of consumers about product
expiration dates placed on product packages, confidence in the retailers,
ease of locating the expiration dates, price adjustment for products sold
after their expiration dates, and fines for those who sell products with
expired dates. Finally, the importance of expiration dates for yogurt,
over-the-counter medicine, and camera film also differs among the three
cultures in this study.
A post-hoc test, Duncan’s multiple-range test, was also performed to
examine the differences among the three groups as shown in Table 2.
The mean scores differ among the three groups for the following state-
ments: “expiration dates are difficult to find,” “a product which is close
to its expiration date should be sold at a lower price,” “fines are justified
for companies selling products with expired dates” and “the importance
of camera films.” The mean score for consumers’ belief that “retailers do
not sell products past their expiration dates” and the mean score for the
importance placed on expiration dates for yogurt are different between
Turkish and U.S. consumers and between Turkish and Canadian con-
sumers. Similarly, the mean score for the importance of expiration dates
for over-the-counter medicine differs between Turkish and Canadian
consumers as well as between the U.S. and Canadian consumers. The
mean scores of the eight statements are also presented in Table 2. For
example, Turkish consumers (mean ⫽ 1.33) do not agree that retailers
sell products past their expiration dates as much as American consumers
(mean ⫽ 1.47) and Canadian consumers (mean ⫽ 1.48). Likewise, Turk-
ish and American consumers have more difficulty finding expiration
dates on the products compared to Canadian consumers. Also, American
consumers feel it is more difficult to find product expiration dates com-
pared to Turkish consumers. Canadians agree more strongly than the
other two groups that “a product nearing its expiration date should be
sold at a lower price” and “fines are justified for companies selling prod-
ucts with expired dates.” For the same statements, Turkish consumers
also differ from American consumers.
The reaction of consumers when they realize that they have purchased
an outdated product (Proposition 9) was measured on a nominal scale.
Thus, chi-square analysis was performed to examine the relationship
between reactions and the cultural impact. The results showed that the
relationship was statistically significant (χ2 ⫽ 122.6, p ⫽ .00). A cross
tabulation indicated that more Canadians (15.6%) are willing to use a

364 HARCAR AND KARAKAYA

Table 2. Differences in Attitudes toward Product Expiration Dates among
Canadian, United States, and Turkish Consumers using ANOVA and Multiple
Range Tests.
Mean F Value Significance Duncan’s
Level Tests
Expiration dates on products are
reliable 0.9091 0.4034 —
Turkey (1) 1.90
United States (2) 1.91
Canada (3) 1.97
Retailers do not sell products past
their expiration dates 4.95 0.0073 (1,2;1,3)*
Turkey (1) 1.33
United States (2) 1.47
Canada (3) 1.48
Expiration dates are hard to find 23.29 0.0000 (1,2;1,3;2,3)
Turkey (1) 1.70
United States (2) 1.89
Canada (3) 2.29
A product nearing its expiration date
should be sold at a lower price 49.41 0.0000 (1,2;1,3;2,3)
Turkey (1) 1.54
United States (2) 1.97
Canada (3) 2.29
Fines are justified for companies
selling products with expired dates 76.57 0.0000 (1,2;1,3;2,3)
Turkey (1) 1.15
United States (2) 1.77
Canada (3) 2.04
Importance of product expiration dates
for yogurt 35.01 0.0000 (1,2;1,3)
Turkey (1) 1.23
United States (2) 1.35
Canada (3) 1.70
Importance of product expiration
dates for over-the-counter medicine 9.24 0.0001 (1,3;2,3)
Turkey (1) 1.17
United States (2) 1.20
Canada (3) 1.34
Importance of product expiration
dates for camera film 14.36 0.0000 (1,2;1,3;2,3)
Turkey (1) 1.85
United States (2) 2.15
Canada (3) 2.31
(*) Note: Should be read as: there is a difference between group one (Turkish) and group two (Americans)
and group one (Turkish) and group three (Canadians) based on Duncan’s Multiple range tests (p ⫽ 0.05).

product with expired date than are Americans (7%) and Turkish respon-
dents (1.7%). Eighty-three percent of the Turkish respondents indicated
that they would return products with expired dates, as opposed to 74
and 49% of the American and Canadian respondents, respectively. Sim-

ATTITUDES TOWARD PRODUCT EXPIRATION DATES 365

ilarly, nine percent of Turkish respondents said they would complain to
the appropriate authorities, with 6% of the Americans and 6.2% of the
Canadians reacting in the same manner. However, complaining to the firm
who manufactured the outdated product does not seem to differ among
the Turkish, American, and Canadian consumers (4.7%, 4.0% and 5,8%,
respectively).

DISCUSSION

As seen in the results section, most of the differences observed are

between Turkish versus American and Canadian consumers. For exam-
ple there is a clear difference between the Turkish and American respon-
dents’ behaviors (checking product expiration dates when purchasing
and before using products). This same difference also applies to Turkish
and Canadian respondents. Therefore, most of the expectations (pro-
posals) are fully or partially confirmed. American and Canadian con-
sumers are somewhat alike in their attitudes and in their checking prod-
uct expiration dates. This is possibly due to the similarities in Canadian
and American cultures, even though some differences exist between the
two. When compared to the Western cultures, Turkish culture is quite dif-
ferent and Turks are more willing to take risks. In addition to culture,
education and age could possibly play a role in influencing consumers’
examining product expiration dates. Further statistical testing of the
data showed that the educational levels of the respondents in the three
countries are different (e.g., higher in the United States). However, edu-
cation and age as covariates have no impact in checking product expi-
ration dates. Therefore, one can infer that the differences observed may
be due to culture. Nevertheless, one has to interpret the results with
caution because of the exploratory nature of this study.
The ease of finding product expiration dates is an important factor
that may, in fact, influence consumers’ checking expiration dates before
purchasing and before using products. In fact, difficulty of finding prod-
uct expiration dates may indeed force consumers to cease checking expi-
ration dates for a variety of products. Based on the results of this study,
Turkish consumers have less difficulty in finding product expiration
dates compared to American and Canadian consumers. One would expect
that as the age and education of consumers increase, they would have eas-
ier time in finding product expiration dates. The U.S. and Canadian
respondents had higher average age and educational levels compared to
the Turkish respondents, but they claimed to have more difficulty in
finding product expiration dates. This may be due to the size or color of
fonts and/or the place used on product packages to show expiration dates.
There could be a relationship between product expiration date appear-
ance and consumers’ ability to find them. This research did not include
this and it should be further investigated.

366 HARCAR AND KARAKAYA

 It is interesting to note that the Turkish consumers do not feel as
strongly as their American and Canadian counterparts for receiving price
discounts on products sold nearing their expiration dates and fines being
justified for companies selling products with expired dates. This may be
because the Turkish consumers, in general, are not as consumer savvy
or do not know their rights. It is also possible that consumer protection
and consumerism issues are not as well spread in Turkey as they are in
the United States and Canada.
When considering over-the-counter medicine, Turkish consumers place
more importance on expiration dates compared to American and Cana-
dian consumers. This may be because a majority of Turkish consumers
do not have regular annual checkups or use medical services; thus they
rely heavily on over-the-counter products recommended by local phar-
macists. It appears that all three groups are different in the importance
placed on product expiration dates of camera film category. Canadian
consumers place more importance on the expiration dates of camera film,
followed by American and Turkish consumers, respectively. The difference
between Turkish consumers’ attitudes when compared to the U.S. and
Canadian consumers might again be explained by cultural differences.
In general, the Turkish culture is not as materialistic as the Western
cultures. The differences observed among the three groups of respon-
dents in the importance of expiration dates for yogurt are also interest-
ing and can be linked to culture. Turkish consumers do not think that the
expiration date of yogurt is as important as the U.S. and Canadian con-
sumers. A possible explanation for this may be the fact that many Turk-
ish consumers still make their own yogurt at home and know how long
yogurt can remain fresh. Another reason might be that Turkish con-
sumers consume more yogurt than the U.S. and Canadian counterparts,
allowing them to be very knowledgeable about the product.
It is noteworthy that the respondents participating in this study in all
three countries perceive, in general, that the product expiration dates are
more important for camera films compared to yogurt and over-the-counter
medicines. Potential risk resulting from the use of over-the-counter med-
icine and yogurt is much higher and is more serious than using camera
film. However, the negative outcome of using a camera film past its expi-
ration date is a well-known fact and is certain to most consumers. Perhaps,
there is also a greater incidence of this than there is of over-the-counter
medicine or food products. Therefore, consumer knowledge and experi-
ence seem to play a role. In addition, types of risks (physical, financial, func-
tional, social, or psychological) involved and the certainty of negative out-
come (Weber & Milliman, 1997) in using outdated products are likely to
determine the importance of product expiration dates. Indeed, this may
explain the reason why the expiration dates for camera film is more impor-
tant. A film past its expiration date is almost certain to produce bad pic-
tures or no pictures, whereas yogurt and over-the-counter medicine may
still be in good condition past their expiration dates.

ATTITUDES TOWARD PRODUCT EXPIRATION DATES 367

 As indicated in the results section, there are some differences between
the American and Canadian respondents. American consumers feel that
they have more difficulty finding product expiration dates on product
packages compared to Canadian consumers. This result may be due to
differences in the packaging design or labeling of product expiration
dates. Similarly, American consumers do not feel as strongly as the Cana-
dian consumers that a product nearing its expiration date should be sold
at a discounted price, and fines are justified for companies selling prod-
ucts with expired dates. The importance of expiration dates for over-the-
counter medicine and for camera film is also less important for Ameri-
can consumers compared to Canadian consumers. This would lead one
to think that, indeed, product expiration dates are more important to
the Canadian consumers compared to the American consumers. Although
cultural similarities exist between the two countries, there appear to be
differences on this issue. The possible answer for the difference may be
the importance paced on health and the perception of potential dangers
presented by products with expired expiration dates. This reasoning does
not explain the fact that Canadian consumers place more importance
on the expiration date of camera film; thus further research is warranted.
The presence of a wide variety of grocery products, all with different
expiration dates and varying shelf lives, means that both suppliers and
distribution centers must find improved ways to manage inventories.
Automating warehouses can help in keeping track of food products that
have freshness or expiration dates. A first-in/first-out (FIFO) rotation
could be established, along with a floor layout that always positions the
oldest product in front. The goal is to minimize the number of products
that go out of date. To assist this effort, the system could flag products
approaching their expiration dates. It is also possible to track incuba-
tion periods for certain products and automatically release them for ship-
ping (Forcinio, 1998).
Companies also need to improve the design of product labels. For exam-
ple, this research indicated that many consumers agreed that it was dif-
ficult to find expiration dates on products. Also, there are still some con-
sumers who are not very aware of the importance of product expiration
dates. This can be a serious problem because of the possibility that prod-
ucts past their expiration dates without any obvious physical signs may
harm consumers (Morgan, Schuler, & Stoltman, 1995). Thus companies
or governmental agencies need to educate consumers concerning prod-
uct labels and risks of using products with expired dates.
Installations of new coding equipment may help to ensure proper cod-
ing. This can provide some new options for the companies in terms of
how they can code products. The codes can then be printed on the side
or bottom of a product package, a bottle cap, or on top of a can. This kind
of practice allows easy identification by consumers in recognizing expi-
ration dates. Installation of laser coding systems can build a clear, notice-
able, and permanent expiration date that can be seen easily by con-
sumers. The imprinting of laser marks on plastics in a variety of colors
368 HARCAR AND KARAKAYA
instead of the usual black and white could also expand the use of laser
marking well beyond its present applications of imprinting expiration
dates (Laser extends coding, 1994). Theoretically, it might be possible to
develop a system using bar codes to flag products with expired or close-
to-expiration dates at the checkout counter. As mentioned earlier in this
article, Food Lion was confronted with the fact that many of its stores had
numerous outdated over-the-counter drugs. The supermarket chain indi-
cated that the problem was the result of human error and added expi-
ration dates to UPC bar codes (A case of coding, 1995).
Unlike many European countries, the United States has no federal
regulations for printing dates on packaged foods to indicate when they
were manufactured or when they should be sold or used (open dating).
As a result, many states have implemented their own open-dating reg-
ulations. Open dating improves consumers’ ability to make educated
choices about the freshness of the foods they eat. It also assists retail
grocers with stock rotation, so that consumers are provided with the best
products available. Although federally imposed mandatory open dating
is not foreseen in the near future, manufacturers who currently do not
have an established code dating process in place should consider incor-
porating one (D. Berry, 1999). Also, it should be noted that expiration
dates on products do not guarantee that perishable products are good until
the indicated dates. For example, if a food product is mishandled during
transportation by being exposed to high temperatures for any period of
time, the quality will decline rapidly. Therefore, consumers need to be
educated that expiration date is not a function of time alone, but other
factors as well. Indeed, to a certain extent, expiration date is a function
of environmental conditions, such as the temperature of products during
storage and distribution processes.
As an exploratory study, this research was limited to three regions in
three countries and to only three product categories. Future studies could
include national samples and investigate more varieties of products. The
importance of expiration dates can be a function of product category, con-
sumer experience, personality, lifestyle, and environmental factors (such
as geographic and climate situations) as well as demographic and nation-
ality factors. In addition, in this research, the term expiration date had
a general meaning. Future research could differentiate the following ter-
minologies: sell by, best if used by and use by. Also, brand image, appear-
ance of expiration dates (print location, size, font type, and color), coun-
try of origin, and retail-store reputations as they relate to product
expiration dates might be considered in future studies.

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The authors would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers and the Execu-
tive Editor for their valuable suggestions, and Susan Scott for help in copy-
editing.

Correspondence regarding this article should be sent to: Fahri Karakaya, Depart-
ment of Marketing, Charlton College of Business, University of Massachusetts
at Dartmouth, North Dartmouth, MA 02747 (e-mail: flkarakaya@umassd.edu)

ATTITUDES TOWARD PRODUCT EXPIRATION DATES 371