An image shared on the Reddit forum “Mildly Interesting” left viewers confused and amused after they saw what followed the expiration date printed on a protein bar might be downright medieval.
Posted by u/SpasticGoldenToys, “July 22 1364” was displayed on the side of a TRIBE protein bar’s wrapper. Commenters rushed to crack jokes about what was printed, while some provided a potential explanation.
“My protein bar expired in medieval times,” read the title of u/SpasticGoldenToys’ post, which received 23,000 votes at the time of publication.
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According to Healthline, different brands of protein bars contain varying nutrient compositions.
“This is largely due to their varying ingredients,” the piece stated. “Many protein bars may be made from dates and dried fruit, nuts and seeds and whole grains like oats or quinoa.”
Per TRIBE’s website, products from the brand are made from plant-based proteins. The only non-vegan ingredient in the products is honey.
Redditor u/SpasticGoldenToys wrote to Newsweek that he purchased the protein bars last week, calling them his “favorite daily snack,” and did not check the dates on the other bars.
“I ate them right after I took the photo,” he said.
With 23,000 votes and more than 300 comments, u/SpasticGoldenToys said he did not expect the response he received from the post.
“Be careful, protein bar could be carrying plague fleas,” a commenter wrote.
“Extra crunch,” another Reddit user replied.
One joked that the protein bar was King Edward III’s favorite snack.
Poking fun at the “five-second rule,” another wrote, “658 year rule!”
“‘Tis still palatable,” a comment read.
A Redditor provided a possible explanation behind the numbers following the wrapper’s “best before end” note.
“No one cares but that’s best before end of July 2022, not July 22, 1364,” they wrote, noting that 1364 may be the batch code the protein bar came from.
One wrote that it was a “bad code date format.”
“I wish there were federal guidelines for code dates, similar to nutritional facts,” they commented.
Other posts shared on the popular “Mildly Interesting” forum on Reddit have gone viral.
A Reddit user shared an image of their grandmother’s titanium hip after she was cremated, which received more than 125,000 votes in two days.
The original poster shared that their uncle kept the hip and it was placed next to a Buddhist altar at his home.
One Redditor’s post of their niece’s kindergarten homework also went viral on the forum.
The worksheet featured a section that confused the Redditor and commenters.
Another photo attracted attention when it showed a list of customers that were no longer welcome at an unknown pizzeria, as well as the reasons behind their ban.