Canned foods can usually be eaten well past their indicated dates, provided there are not visible signs of rust or bulging.
Fun fact: the reason commercially canned goods are so reliably safe these days is largely because of NASA. A microbiologist named Howard Bauman worked with NASA in the late 1950s to ensure that food sent into space with astronauts was 100% safe to eat. In response to some food contamination incidents in the 1970s, including a botulism outbreak, the standards that Bauman helped develop for astronaut food—called HACCP, or Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points—were adopted by commercial food producers, resulting in canned goods that are remarkably safe. Thanks, NASA!
Further, “expiration dates” are set by food manufacturers and are usually good indicators of when a food will start to deteriorate in quality or flavor, but not necessarily when it is unsafe to eat. That said, it is good pantry practice to rotate stocks of food using the FIFO principle—First In First Out. Move older items to the front and put newer ones behind them so you go through food in a timely manner.
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