Food waste is a global problem. Not only does it contribute to the growing problem of hunger around the world, but it also accounts for nearly 60% of greenhouse gas emissions from landfills. The Biden-Harris administration has a new plan to reduce food waste. It’s up to you to decide whether the food actually Whether it spoils before throwing it away.
If you know you’re dealing with expired food, you can always use a countertop composter to keep organic waste out of the dump. Before you decide to throw it away, brush up on your ability to tell when food is and isn’t expired so you don’t throw away a perfectly good consumable.
Americans generate 325 pounds of food waste per person each year, much of which is discarded food that is considered expired and no longer fit for consumption. Some of this can be attributed to food debris. worried? Much of the food waste can be attributed to throwing away food that may still be safe to eat but has passed its printed expiration date.
Throwing away food that may not have spoiled is not only a food waste problem, but also a financial waste problem. “I saw a statistic that if consumers were really more cautious about shelf life, they could save up to about $1,300 a year,” said Storewise CEO Christopher Greco.
What is the expiration date?
Once the packaging seal is broken, the best before and expiry dates no longer apply.
“Expiration dates are a quality and safety issue,” Greco said. On the one hand, producers and manufacturers want you to experience their products with optimal flavor and texture, and on the other hand, they want to reduce the risk of any possible foodborne illness.
read more: How to store and preserve fresh herbs
Some products, e.g. dairy Products have a relatively short shelf life, and when you bring them home from the store, the shelf life is up quickly. Other foods, such as canned and pickled products, can last on store shelves or in the pantry or refrigerator for considerable periods of time, possibly even years.
There are many nuances to food expiration
If the best before date is several years ago, then it’s best to package it.
There are many nuances to quality and safety when it comes to expiration dates, especially for products that by their nature have unstable shelf lives.
Greco walks us through various scenarios in which a common household product (milk) expires in the near future, and storage and shipping variables can impact its status even if the packaging already has an expiration date printed on it. “If a distributor throws milk into a grocery store and leaves it unrefrigerated in the back for even 20 or 30 minutes before putting it away, you might have a different situation,” he said. “If you’re in the South “Buying milk in Florida, where it’s 100 degrees and you drive 30 minutes home, also has an impact on quality.”
Best before, use by, shelf life and freeze dates
You’ll usually find the expiration date on the can on the bottom.
The expiry date may also be printed with different wording, which creates different considerations and may relate more to quality issues than safety issues. According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, the meaning behind the various labels is as follows:
- A “Best before/by” date Indicates when a product has its best flavor or quality. This is not a purchase date or a safe date.
- A “Sell by” The date tells the store when to display products for sale for inventory management purposes. This is not a safe date.
- A “user” The date is the last date by which it is recommended that the product be used at its highest quality. It is not a safe date (except when used in infant formula.)
- A “freeze” The date indicates how long the product should be frozen to maintain optimal quality. This is not a purchase date or a safe date.
Several factors affect how long a food is safe to eat, including storage, packaging and the environment.
These phrases can provide helpful guidance to consumers, but it is important to note that, except in the case of infant formula, federal law does not require an expiration date. As mentioned above, none of these address safety issues for consumption. In short, either way, you have to rely on your senses (including common sense) to determine whether a food is safe to eat.
Use common sense
Some foods have a longer shelf life than you think, but some foods have a faster shelf life. For example, olive oil does not last longer than a few months after opening.
“I think a lot of consumers have a hard and fast rule when it comes to shelf life, and they think if it’s the 28th or the 29th and something expires on the 27th, then they have to throw it out,” Greco said. But this is not always the case, or even usually the case. “You should at least smell it, maybe taste it, it’s probably still good,” he said.
On the other hand, this is an important habit to get into anyway, because even before the expiration date, you may suspect that something has changed. Expiration dates may become meaningless given various shipping and storage situations and, as noted above, do not reflect any federal regulations.
Even the USDA recommends this action: “The quality of perishable products may deteriorate after their shelf life; however, if handled properly, such products remain safe. Consumers must evaluate the quality of the product before consumption to determine Meet the requirements. You can handle food properly by putting it away as soon as you get home, knowing where the coldest areas are in the refrigerator, separating different types of food, using appropriate storage containers, and not overdoing it in the first place. Full.
I bought this chicken on March 11, 2024, but it was still a week away from the sell-by date.
read more: Chicken labels are confusing. Here’s what they mean (and don’t mean)
Some items visibly deteriorate when they show signs of mold or rot, or when the smell becomes unpleasant. (You probably don’t need to throw away the cheese even if it develops some mold.) Items with a naturally musty smell preservative Other pickled products (such as cheese, pickled products or products with a high vinegar content, or jams) are more likely to become unpalatable or bland before becoming unsafe.
Shopping in person helps reduce expiration dates and food waste
Expired meat and seafood are more likely to cause problems than most other foods.
Greco points out that our shopping habits may also throw away unspoiled food. “Part of the cause of food waste is a lack of frequency of in-store shopping,” he said. While buying in bulk Can help save money on certain products, try menu planning or stocking for weeks or months at a time instead of just a few days, which often results in having too much food on hand, which can be difficult to use before actually starting to turn around, no matter what What is the validity period?
If you’re still having to be overly cautious about throwing away items because of expiration dates, frequent trips to your local grocery store can help you better keep groceries in your refrigerator and keep money in your account.
At the end of the day, use your judgment when it comes to expired food. Use your senses, including Common Meaning, to guide you in determining when food is safe to eat or past its prime.
