“It won’t hurt if I eat the bread at 12:01 AM today when it was meant to expire today; I’m just a minute in, right?” We all had these mini conversations with ourselves at some point in our lives. The expiration date of foods is a never-ending dilemma that we’ll try to solve today! Stay tuned because we’ll discuss lots of fun things that won’t be going bad any time soon!
Expiration Dates Leading to Food Wastage!
Let’s start with how expiration dates of foods make different countries waste so much of the food every year. Did you know that U.S. consumers waste a lot of food year-round, about one-third of all purchased food? That’s equivalent to 1,250 calories per person per day, or $1,500 worth of groceries for a four-person household each year, an estimate that doesn’t include recent food price inflation.
And the fun fact is that most of that tossed food is still good to eat, but because many people don’t know how to interpret the expiration dates, they just let the food go.
How it All Started..
Before the 20th century, the pathway of where the food was produced and where it was eaten was much more direct and simple, and people were able to guess their freshness using sight, smell and touch.
But the freshness of foods became a never-ending problem when supermarkets came into the equation, and they started stocking processed foods, and it became harder for the masses to gauge the age of those products.
At that time, in the U.S., grocers used packaging codes to track how long food had been on the shelves, and in 1970, consumers demanded in on that info. That’s when many supermarkets adopted a system called “open dating” that is still being used. During open dating, food manufacturers or retailers label products with dates indicating optimum freshness; when the food is most fresh.
However, this is more of a vague metric and has nothing to do with food safety or expiration dates.
Expiration Dates Don’t Have Much Scientific Backing!
Did you know that expiration dates are rarely decided with any scientific backing? Researchers have found that “expiration” dates — which rarely correspond to food actually expiring or spoiling, and are mostly well-intentioned but haphazard and confusing. Put another way, they’re not expiration dates at all.
This means those dates solely indicate freshness, and if not tasty, many of the expired food is still edible! Most retailers and manufacturers set these dates, which indicate optimum freshness, as early as possible so that consumers will taste the food at its optimum condition, making them come back for more!
This means those old cookies, pasta, and other shelf-stable groceries might taste stale but aren’t a health risk!
How Canned and Frozen Foods Work!
Canned food can stay safe for years as long as they don’t show signs of bulging or rusting. Frozen food items are safer because the low freezer temperature keeps bacteria in check that cause food poisoning. For example, refrigerated eggs are good for up to five weeks, and if they spoil, your nose will let you know!
Did you know that according to Food and Drug Administration, FDA, refrigerated food should be safe as long as the power has not been out for more than four hours and the refrigerator door is kept shut? One must discard refrigerated perishable food, such as meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs or leftovers, at temperatures above 40 Fahrenheit for four hours or more!
On the other hand, the United States Department of Agriculture, USDA, recommends eating or freezing meat within days of purchase. Also, it’s better if you use ready-to-eat salads, deli meats, and unpasteurized cheeses quickly because, beyond their printed date, these food items are more likely to carry pathogenic bacteria that can make them smell or taste bad.
What Experts Advise on This Matter!..
Because many people toss expired food and are using this metric to indicate if the food is edible or not, much of the food is being wasted worldwide, and to avoid this, many experts advocate that it should be the law that dates must be made clear by using the two phrases.
These are “Best if used by” to indicate freshness and “Use by” to indicate safety. This is also not a perfect solution, but many U.S. researchers agree that setting these standards at the federal level could prevent tons of food waste annually.
Many experts also advocate for policies motivating grocers and restaurants to donate unsold food, but confusion around the expiration dates isn’t letting them do so! They believe that if countries take the initiative to clear the air around this matter, it’ll prove very beneficial for our Mother Earth, reducing food waste significantly!
Conclusion
In a nutshell, the best way to avoid food waste is to eat early whatever you buy and don’t forget to use your eyes, nose and tongue to detect its freshness and whether it should be consumed.