Hathama – for both food and chemicals, the environmental conditions determine the shelf life much more than do expiration dates. Those dates are arbitrary, made-up dates, particularly so for chemicals. For instance, many inorganic compounds will remain stable for hundreds of years if stored properly. For most chemicals, cool and dry conditions are best. I would, however, pay much more attention to expiration dates for foods! Obviously, storing many foods in cold conditions or in a freezer can substantially extend their safe use time.

Russ