I'm aware of how it's done for dairy products and that, it being rather easy to tell when it's going bad. But I was just preparing some Charlotte Potatoes and I noticed it said "Display Until July 8th. Best Before July 10th". It's now October 22nd, but I wouldn't surprised to see them still good at 3 months given how they looked and felt.

They were stored in the veg drawer of a fridge that is at 2C +/- 1C, but even when we have gotten big bags and kept them in the garage they've kept for several weeks, though they did start sprouting (some were even got to by Field Mice before anything else).

So, just how did they come up with such a poor date for "Store in a cool, dry place"?

Of all the vegetables I buy, whole iceberg lettuces have the greatest longevity. They are edible up to three weeks after their "best before" date. Other vegetables succumb sooner.

Why does it last so long compared with, say, tomatoes, broccoli or radishes?

Finn de Boer, Rotterdam, the Netherlands