Expiring groceries get a second life.(Up front)

Ever wonder what stores do with leftover meat, milk, muffins, and canned goods that have stuck around beyond their sell-by or use-by dates? After CONSUMER REPORTS mystery shoppers recently discovered 72 products past their prime in 31 stores across seven states, we asked food industry insiders for the scoop.

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As long as the food isn't spoiled--many date codes indicate when an item is apt to be fresh and flavorful rather than unfit for consumption--many retailers and manufacturers donate expiring goods to hunger-relief charities. (For information on how long products stay good enough to eat, go to www.fsis.usda.gov and enter the search term "food product dating.")

Feeding America (formerly known as America's Second Harvest) is the largest such operation in the U.S. It distributes more than 2 billion pounds of donated groceries per year to 200 food banks, which work with community-based food pantries and soup kitchens to feed the hungry. It's the supermarket industry's preferred channel of distribution for "un-salable" products, according to Troy Beeler, senior manager of sales and sales promotion for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, a trade group.

Feeding America works with almost every major food manufacturer and grocery chain, as well as the agricultural industry, to collect items that aren't suitable for retail sale but are ...