Food waste is a global issue that affects people all over the world. It accounts for 60% of greenhouse gas emissions and it affects everyone, everywhere. The White House has New Plans As part of our efforts to reduce food waste in June, you too can play your part in determining whether your food is safe. actually Before you decide to throw it out, you need to know if it’s spoiled, and that requires more than just glancing at the expiration date.
If you know you’re dealing with expired foods, you can use a countertop composter to keep your organic waste from ending up in the dump. Hone your ability to tell if food is expired before you decide to throw it out, and avoid throwing out perfectly usable consumables.
Americans produce 325 pounds of food waste per person per year, much of it food that has passed its expiration date and been discarded because it was deemed inedible. Some of it could be due to food waste. Are you worried? A lot of that food waste could be due to throwing away food that may still be safe to eat but has passed its printed best before date.
Throwing out food that may not be spoiled is not just a food waste issue, it’s also a monetary waste issue. “I’ve seen statistics that say that if consumers paid more attention to expiration dates, they could save about $1,300 a year,” says StorewiseIt’s a software platform for independent grocers that spoke to us about food expiration dates.
What is the expiration date?
Once the packaging seal has been broken, best before and expiration dates no longer apply.
“Best before dates are both a quality and safety issue,” Greco says. On the one hand, producers and manufacturers want their products to be enjoyed at the best possible condition in terms of flavor and texture, and on the other hand, they want to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
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for example, Dairy products Foods have a relatively short shelf life and are rapidly approaching their expiration date when you get them home from the store. On the other hand, canned goods, preserved foods, and other foods can last for a fairly long time, even years, on store shelves, in your pantry, or in your refrigerator.
There are many nuances in food expiration dates
If the expiration date is several years old, it’s best to throw it away.
There are nuances when it comes to expiration dates, both in terms of quality and safety, especially for products with low shelf life.
Greco illustrates various scenarios using the example of milk, a common household item with a near-expiration date. With milk, both storage and transportation factors can affect the condition of the milk, even after the expiration date is printed on the package. “If the milk is delivered to the grocery store by the wholesaler and sits in the back of the store without being refrigerated for 20 or 30 minutes before it’s stored, it may have a different profile,” Greco says. “If you buy milk in South Florida where it’s 100 degrees and you drive 30 minutes to get home, this also affects the quality.”
Best before date, expiry date, sell by date, freeze by date
The expiration date is usually printed on the bottom of the can.
Expiration dates may also be printed in different language, which may raise different considerations and emphasize quality issues over safety. United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection ServiceHere’s what the different labels mean:
- a “expiration date” It indicates when the product will have the best flavor and quality, not the purchase date or safety date.
- a “expiration date” The date tells the store how long the item should be displayed for sale for inventory purposes. It is not a safety date.
- a “Expiration date” The date is the latest recommended date to use the product at its best quality – it is not a safety date (except for use in infant formula).
- a “Freeze by” The date indicates the date the product should be frozen to maintain best quality – it is not a purchase date or safety date.
Several factors affect how long food is safe to eat, including storage, packaging and environment.
While these phrases provide helpful guidelines for consumers, it is important to note that federal law does not mandate expiration dates, except in the case of infant formula. As mentioned above, none of these have any bearing on safety issues for consumption, meaning that you will still need to rely on your common sense to determine whether a food is safe to consume.
Use common sense
Some foods will last longer than expected, while others will expire sooner – for example, olive oil will not stay fresh for more than a few months after opening.
“I think a lot of consumers have this strict rule about expiration dates, and they think it’s the 28th or 29th, and if it expires on the 27th, it has to be thrown out,” Greco says, but that’s not always the case, and it’s often not. “You can at least smell it, you can taste it, and it might still be edible.”
On the other hand, it’s an important habit to have in any case, since you might suspect something has changed even before the expiration date, the expiration date may become meaningless when you take into account various shipping and storage scenarios, and, as mentioned above, it does not reflect federal regulations.
The USDA also recommends this course of action: “Fresh foods may deteriorate after their expiration date but are safe if handled properly. Consumers should evaluate products for quality and inspect products for signs of spoilage before consumption.” You can handle food properly by putting food away as soon as you get home, knowing the coldest spot in your refrigerator, keeping different types of food separate, using appropriate storage containers, and not overpacking in the first place.
I bought this chicken on March 11th, but the sell-by date was still a week away.
read more: Chicken Labels Are Confusing: Here’s What They Mean (and What They Don’t)
Some products are obviously spoiled if they show signs of mold or decay, or if they have an unpleasant odor. (Although mold is not necessarily a reason to throw out cheese.) Preservative Poor quality foods, such as cheeses, pickles, foods with high vinegar content, and preserves such as jams, are likely to become unpalatable or bland long before they become unsafe.
In-person shopping helps reduce expiration dates and food waste
Expired meat and seafood are more likely to cause problems than most other food items.
Greco said our shopping habits also influence the likelihood of throwing out food that isn’t spoiled: “Shopping in stores less frequently also contributes to food waste,” he said. When buying in bulk While this can save you money on some items, trying to menu plan and stock up for weeks or months instead of just a few days tends to leave you with so much food on hand that it’s hard to use it all up before it actually starts to spoil, regardless of expiration dates.
If expiration dates have you feeling like you’re being too cautious and forcing you to throw out products, visiting your local grocery store more frequently could help you better keep food in your fridge and money in your account.
Ultimately, you should use your own judgment when it comes to expired foods. General It helps you determine when food is safe to eat and when it’s past its prime.
