Stews can also be made with large amounts of wine (beef bourguignon) or beer (beef carbonnade (use a good dark ber, but not a stout)).

Have you talked to your friend about the parasitic alien embryo possibility?

Not selling food past the expiration date is a self-imposed behavior by retailers in the US.
I would argue that it is self-imposed to the extent that most consumers won't buy it. OTOH, the local grocery stores here in NoVa, hardly hotbeds of cost-consciousness, have sections where various past-their-expiration-dates foods are sold at half price.

Earth First!
_{(We can strip mine the rest later.)}