I believe that Vox article is a bit misleading,p. There is often very good reason to pay attention to date codes, especially the “use by” dates. While the sniff test can usually determine obvious spoilage, it’s dangerous to rely solely on our senses to protect us.

The two biggest bugaboos that are pretty much undetectable outside of a laboratory are listeria and botulism. As the article mentioned, listeria is the reason deli goods should be consumed promptly, but it can also lurk in cured meats, as well, both refrigerated and non-refrigerated. Botulism is the reason you don’t keep opened jars of food in the fridge for 6 months, as it can grow very slowly in refrigerated goods in the absence of air, even below 40°F. Foods like sliced onions, if wrapped tightly in foil and left unrefrigerated for as little as a day or two, can develop botulism from the spores that were on the outside of the produce, and carried into the wet slices when cut.

Food safety is a big subject, and it pays to learn about it. If you’d care to see just how much food poisoning goes on in America, visit this link:
[link to marlerclark.com (secure)]