I'm lactose intolerant, anyway, but I have always pondered that...same with cheese and anything else with a sell by date. That messes me up, because I don't know if it is really to the benefit of the consumer or just the dairy/grocery stockers.
When I WAS a dairy stocker, I didn't find the dates useful at all, as it usually meant I had to go through the whole department and toss everything that was past the date. Most of the stuff was just fine, or seemed so.
