I think it's more of the expiration date should be more explicitly a suggestion and a limit for the retailers. People think after the best by date it's no longer good, when in reality it literally means what's written: better before, not bad after. I'd say it's a wording thing first, because using an actual expiration date is impossible, and would open food producer to petty lawsuits about the product being not good 1 day before the estimated date