This Trader Joe's Expiration Date Confusion Has Reddit Cracking Up

When it comes to storing ghee, you typically have a fair bit of time before it expires. According to Survival Freedom, store bought ghee typically lasts 24 months if you don't open the container. If you do open it, you still don't have to worry — ghee stays fresh for up to four months if left open and unrefrigerated, and lasts up to 12 months if it goes in the refrigerator. While this type of butter stays untainted for quite some time, it doesn't last forever.

One astute Redditor noticed that their local Trader Joe's had a jar of ghee that easily exceeded all of these recommended time frames. In a recent post titled, "Trader Joe's ghee will outlive us all," a user uploaded a picture of a Trader Joe's jar of ghee that appears to expire in 2209. The expiration date caused users everywhere to wonder what Trader Joe's was thinking and resulted in a ton of digital laughter and jokes about time.

Reddit users couldn't hold back from sharing their reactions to the post. One Redditor replied with, "Probably not the Queen. She is immortal," in response to the post's title, while others commented with, "It's actually 09/10/22 at 09:14. It's unclear whether this is AM or PM, and what time zone it is, so your best bet is throw it out when it's 9:14 AM in the Line Islands of Kiribati." Another person said, "Military time still has to designate a time zone though. For example, 0914R is 09:14 AM EST, while 0914Z is 09:14 GMT. Since there is no time zone here, it's still safest to go with the earliest time zone, which is UTC + 14." One user even had an elegant solution to the conundrum: "Now we must track down the Trader Joe's ghee factory."

With any luck, Trader Joe's may one day create a shelf-stable ghee that can last almost 200 years. In the meantime, keep enjoying the occasional closely-printed expiration date and all the jokes that come with the territory.