Milk Expiration Dates - Courtesy of Al Capone
Why is milk dated? Here's an unlikely resource—Alcatraz Island. During a tour of the former federal prison, a U.S. National Park Ranger noted that Al Capone "lobbied for milk bottle dating to ensure the safety of the city's children."
It was reported that one of Capone's family members in Chicago became ill from drinking spoiled milk. At that time, there were no controls on milk production, neither expiration dates nor regulations to prevent adulteration, dilution or skimming off the cream.
This drew Capone's interest to the milk business, and he saw several things: The milk distribution business had a shady character. Capone was comfortable with shady businesses, but he didn't like to see people, especially children sickened by unwholesome milk. He saw a potentially high profit in milk distribution, and with Prohibition soon to end, he had a fleet of trucks that could easily be used to transport milk.
Capone took two steps to move into the milk business. One was to acquire a milk processor, Meadowmoor Dairies. The other was to have the Chicago City Council pass a law requiring a visible expiration date stamped on milk containers.
On the second item, it was likely that Capone had already cornered the market on equipment to stamp expiration dates on bottles, and the passage of the legislation would help him take over the Chicago milk market.
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