Posted on 08/23/2022 6:58:18 AM PDT by daniel1212
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.
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.
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....
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 also might pay close attention to the dates for more perishable foods, like cold cuts, in which microbes grow easilyt 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 also might pay close attention to the dates for more perishable foods, like cold cuts, in which microbes grow easily
Thanks everybody for the advice. You’re all right about sour cream......we dunt eat anything that has green or black on it Luuceee......we have to be extra careful because Hub has no immune system. I’m sitting here right now eating a Yoplait peach yogurt that expired in June and it’s STILL good.....;)
...embarassed itself on the world stage...
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Dairies are pretty reliable in dating and sour cream usually has a fairly long refrigerated life. If any of it starts to separate AND has any pink or green spots, dump it.
I only buy the 4% milk fat sour cream, so IDK if that applies to the low-fat version.
...cheese...
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Since it grew mold once, after I cut it off, I wrap it in a sheet of paper towel that has been dampened in vinegar and put it into a new bag. I also use the re-usable vacuum seal bags for things like cheese and then vacuum pump it before putting back in the fridge.
oops! computer posted another copied bit not applicable.
should be: Sour Cream
Good idea
I only buy the 4% milk fat sour cream, so IDK if that applies to the low-fat version.
Daw don’t do anything but the highest amount of butterfat in any dairy product....;)lol
250 million years old and expired in 2019. Just my luck.
Mold can simply be cut off hard cheese. Soft cheeses can be another story, however.
That’s accelerated obsolescence. Marketing 101.
As the excerpt states,
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.
"That said, I believe this new war on food expiration dates is being pushed by the globalist greens. " To the contrary,. about the only times liberals are against regulations in the name of caution and safety, from seat belts to masks and more and by which they obtain more power, is when they are for traditional morality or hinder their protests and agencies and will not gain them more power. Sometimes perfectly good food was required to be thrown out since the letter or two of a food safety law was not followed. Trusting consumers to make choices about their health? That is not consistent with their liberal elitism which is not to be questioned. Rather, what liberalism would push for is regulation by the Food and Drug Administration to set dates, thus leading to inspections and fear of officials.
So my corned beef hash that is two years past expiration date can be livened up with some Cajun Seasoning and still taste delightfully Irish?
I just experienced this - was going through some canned tomatoes - the pull top cans were all bulging (big no no), the rest of the cans (same expiration date) we’re fine.
*were
They think we are being wasteful with our expiration dates.
Hash?
Urp, excuse me while I make a run for the bathroom.
I *hate* hash.
It’s probably OK as long as the can is intact. Listen for the sound of the seal breaking when you open it. I would guess that if it were bad, it would be obvious.
I’ve eaten/used soups and condensed milk a couple years past it’s expiration date and it’s been fine.
It’s getting harder and harder to find cans that are not pull top.
I don’t like that.
That is indeed a bit much! Yet something like sweetened condense milk might still be good, if the can is. And we still have some (very) dried beans that are over 10-15 years old!
But expiration dates foster less food, since more is thrown out, thus leading to more dependence on gov. as supplies run low.
But expiration dates foster less food, since more is thrown out, thus leading to more dependence on gov. as supplies run low.
They want less food production. They think food production is anti green. Look what they are doing to the Netherlands farmers. Look what they are doing to the price of fertilizer.
They want us to produce less. They want us to eat more rancid meats and vegetables and they want us to eat more bugs. They want us to produce less of all things. It's part of their green new deal.
More bugs. More rancid food. Both of those story lines are just now starting to be pushed. You will see more and more of it.
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