sell-by.......

ok, so things in the grocery-shopping venue have gotten out of hand when reasonable people obsess about sell-by dates for pasta.......i was in the aldi on my way home from work when i chanced upon a lady from my church....60=ish.....who was ddep in thought over a box of macaroni......and she asked for my advice.....about whether it was safe to buy pasta that didn't have a sell-by date......wtf?...this is dried pasta.....which, if kept dry.....will last for a very, very long time.......and will show it's unsuitability but he presence of...say....mold or discoloration at some point in the distant future......i was dumbstruck that this woman had agonized over a box of something not in the perishable department......milk-yep- we worry about milk......and cheese......but pasta......i don't think that companies that actually include a sell-by date can say for certain that the product won't be still good 2 weeks beyond........