Posted on 07/22/2022 11:05:11 AM PDT by Red Badger
Florida's outbreak of listeria has so far led to at least one death, 22 hospitalizations and an ice cream recall since January.
Humans get sick with listeria infections, or listeriosis, from eating soil-contaminated food, undercooked meat or dairy products that are raw, or unpasteurized. Listeria can cause convulsions, coma, miscarriage and birth defects. And it's the third leading cause of food poisoning deaths in the US.
Avoiding unseen food hazards is the reason people often check the dates on food packaging. And printed with the month and year is often one of a dizzying array of phrases: "best by," "use by," "best if used before," "best if used by," "guaranteed fresh until," "freeze by" and even a "born on" label applied to some beer.
People think of them as expiration dates, or the date at which a food should go in the trash. But the dates have little to do with when food expires, or becomes less safe to eat. I am a microbiologist and public health researcher, and I have used molecular epidemiology to study the spread of bacteria in food.
A more science-based product dating system could make it easier for people to differentiate foods they can safely eat from those that could be hazardous.
Costly confusion The United States Department of Agriculture reports that in 2020 the average American household spent 12% of its income on food. But a lot of food is simply thrown away, despite being perfectly safe to eat.
The USDA Economic Research Center reports that nearly 31% of all available food is never consumed. Historically high food prices make the problem of waste seem all the more alarming.
The current food labeling system may be to blame for much of the waste. The FDA reports consumer confusion around product dating labels is likely responsible for around 20% of the food wasted in the home, costing an estimated US$161 billion per year.
It's logical to believe that date labels are there for safety reasons, since the federal government enforces rules for including nutrition and ingredient information on food labels.
Passed in 1938 and continuously modified since, the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act requires food labels to inform consumers of nutrition and ingredients in packaged foods, including the amount of salt, sugar and fat it contains.
The dates on those food packages, however, are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Rather, they come from food producers. And they may not be based on food safety science.
For example, a food producer may survey consumers in a focus group to pick a "use by" date that is six months after the product was produced because 60% of the focus group no longer liked the taste. Smaller manufacturers of a similar food might play copycat and put the same date on their product.
More interpretations One industry group, the Food Marketing Institute and Grocery Manufacturers Association, suggests that its members mark food "best if used by" to indicate how long the food is safe to eat, and "use by" to indicate when food becomes unsafe.
But using these more nuanced marks is voluntary. And although the recommendation is motivated by a desire to cut down on food waste, it is not yet clear if this recommended change has had any impact.
A joint study by the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic and the National Resources Defense Council recommends the elimination of dates aimed at consumers, citing potential confusion and waste.
Instead, the research suggests manufacturers and distributors use "production" or "pack" dates, along with "sell-by" dates, aimed at supermarkets and other retailers. The dates would indicate to retailers the amount of time a product will remain at high quality.
The FDA considers some products "potentially hazardous foods" if they have characteristics that allow microbes to flourish, like moisture and an abundance of nutrients that feed microbes.
These foods include chicken, milk and sliced tomatoes, all of which have been linked to serious foodborne outbreaks. But there is currently no difference between the date labeling used on these foods and that used on more stable food items.
Scientific formula Infant formula is the only food product with a "use by" date that is both government regulated and scientifically determined. It is routinely lab tested for contamination.
But infant formula also undergoes nutrition tests to determine how long it take the nutrients – particularly protein – to break down. To prevent malnutrition in babies, the "use by" date on baby formula indicates when it's no longer nutritious.
Nutrients in foods are relatively easy to measure. The FDA already does this regularly. The agency issues warnings to food producers when the nutrient contents listed on their labels don't match what FDA's lab finds.
Microbial studies, like the ones we food safety researchers work on, are also a scientific approach to meaningful date labeling on foods. In our lab, a microbial study might involve leaving a perishable food out to spoil and measuring how much bacteria grows in it over time.
Scientists also do another kind of microbial study by watching how long it takes microbes like listeria to grow to dangerous levels after intentionally adding the microbes to food to watch what they do, noting such details as growth in the amount of bacteria over time and [when there's enough to cause illness].
Consumers on their own Determining the shelf life of food with scientific data on both its nutrition and its safety could drastically decrease waste and save money as food gets more expensive.
But in the absence of a uniform food dating system, consumers could rely on their eyes and noses, deciding to discard the fuzzy bread, green cheese or off-smelling bag of salad.
People could also might pay close attention to the dates for more perishable foods, like cold cuts, in which microbes grow easily. They can also find guidance at FoodSafety.gov. Jill Roberts, Associate Professor of Global Health, University of South Florida
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Like anything else, just add lots of fat, salt and acid and you can make it good.
One thing I’ve never figured out, do these guys that make these videos get paid by the minute or what?
I have seen this guy before. He must have a buckskin belly and rubber guts to consume some of the junk he eats.
Would not be concerned so long as they have remained frozen.
Wait. When was kale ever tasty?
Kale takes on the flavor of whatever you add it to.
Hmmmmmmmm.............
CHOCOLATE KALE!.....................
Simple alcohols are usually stable indefinitely:
For Sale: 300-Year-Old ‘Shipwreck Wine’ Rescued From the Bottom of the Sea
It may still be safe to drink.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/can-wine-survive-shipwreck
👍👌😜✔🤦♀️........................................
If the can is not puffy it is safe to eat. The label reads BEST IF USED BY. Does not mean it is expired.
Fresh stuff is whole different ball game.
You might try to eat Kibbles instead. It keeps for months. Carry a little in you pocket in case you get hungry. Keeps your teeth clean. Dogs seem to be healthier than humans and maybe that is the answer.
Just avoid the urge to chase cars.
Is that like citric acid or like lysergic acid?
Yes...there can be some effects on flavor but actual spoilage? Not so much. Depends on the product and the packaging.
Wheat kernels last a very long time. Flour, not so much.
I have a small auxiliary freezer that keeps everything rock hard frozen.
I failed to rotate to the other freezer and some of them are now “expired”, but I’m eating them and really found no difference in taste.
I’m in real trouble with the smell test. Since I lost my sense of smell in an accident a few years ago, I can’t tell diesel from donuts.
Frank Costanza and Kramer cook for a Jewish crowd...Seinfeld
https://youtu.be/TlYx8YR3KN0
If it turns blue or green, throw it out.
If it smells bad, throw it out.
If it tastes bad, stop eating and discard the rest.
If it looks different than normal, throw it out.
It will cost you lot more if you get sick than cost of the food item, not to mention possible death or damage to liver.
Kirkland chicken and Kirkland beef are goid 10 years after exp. date. Tuna of several brands as well.
Opened an Augason Farms oat meal 10 into its 30 storage life and it was spoiled. Powdered eggs last forever. Even after opening.
Storage techniques are more critical than most consider.
Fresh foods- well, they rot, or stink and you know.
Dried food in non-sealed/ non-canned packages, they’ll grow weevils but still are edible if you don’t mind bug carcasses.
Freeze your excess noodles, flour and rice, for a few days, then bag in a zip lock, or put in sterilized canning jars in teh oven at 200F for two hours, cover with seals and rings immediately, let cool, last 4-ever. store is cool, dark dry place. Lasts indef... both methods kill weevil eggs that are present in all noodles and rice and flours.
All the above extended AND flavor maintained if you drop in Nitrogen emitters- they consume oxygen and exude nitrogen. Best way to keep dry goods fresher long.
Canned goods- same- store in cool dry dark place, lasts indef, but flavor can go south- called “stale”. Home-canned goods- I found a 7-year-old quart jar of green beans; was just as yummy as a recent batch.
Just remember- dark, cool, dry.
A South African tracker instructor and friend of mine explained that even rotting meat can be consumed safely- boiled in excess water for at least two hours, remove from the water, rinse with clean water, eat. DO NOT save any for later. Toxic once it cools and then rapidly decomposes. Worst survival course I “enjoyed”. A stinking, fly and maggot infested slimy long dead cow (I think) was “meat du jour”, for a seven-day S. African survival course; none of us got sick (but we all lost 15 lbs).
Reading the article and the comments here, there seems to be as many opinions as there are .....commenters (yeah, that is the word)
Which leads to my opinion.
The real answer to the food freshness, best by or throw out date is......SPAM.
My wife and I both enjoy Spam at least once a week and have come up with a couple of observations about it.
Spam was introduced to the world in 1937 by the Hormel Corporation
Spam has a shelf life of approximately, a still unknown date.
If the Biden Inflation continues, we may have to up our Spam consumption.
If others are in the same boat, Hormel may have start producing their second run of Spam. Then we may never find out it’s expiration date.
Well pretty much anything organic; as for pasta, if it’s gray you toss it.
We put flour and corn meal in the freezer for a week or so and that freezes the eggs............
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