Lifestyle
What Do Expiration Dates Mean — and Who Decides Them
Almost no US food date is required by law, and only infant formula's is about safety. Here is who sets expiration dates, what each phrase means, and why they drive so much waste.
Section
Lifestyle
Food, style, home, money habits and how people live now.
4 stories
Lifestyle
What Happens to Recycling, and What Actually Gets Recycled
The national rate everyone quotes is 32.1%. The rate for plastic is 8.7%, almost all of it two kinds of bottle. The gap between those numbers is the whole story.
Lifestyle
Why Clothing Sizes Are Inconsistent
A 32-inch bust was a size 14 in 1937, a size 8 in 1967 and a size 0 in 2011. The standard everyone assumes was lost never actually bound anybody.
Lifestyle
The Capsule Wardrobe, Explained — and Where the Idea Breaks Down
A small, coordinated wardrobe is a genuinely useful idea. The rigid item counts attached to it are the part worth ignoring.