Are you one of those people who throw away food as soon as the 'use by' or 'sell by' date comes up? If so, you could be wasting perfectly good food and throwing money down the drain.
According to Yahoo! News, Americans throw away about 14 percent of food each year, which averages about $600 per family, but this money wasted could be just that, wasted, if people are not aware of what 'use by' and 'sell by' dates really mean.
"The 'use-by' or 'best if used-by' date indicates the last day that the item is at its best quality as far as taste, texture, appearance, odor, and nutritional value. The decline after that is gradual. The use-by date refers to product that has not yet been opened," according to Yahoo!
"The 'sell by' date is not really a matter of food safety, but a notice to stores that the product should be taken off the shelf because it will begin to decline in quality after that date," stated Yahoo!
What this means is once the date on food has come up or past, that does not mean the food is no longer good. It simply means that your chips may not be as crisp, or your candy may be a little harder.
If food is frozen past the 'sell by' or 'use by' date, it is often still good and can be eaten as long as certain procedures are taken.
According to healthkicker.com, there are a few things to be cautious of when dealing with food that is past is expiration date.
First off, make sure all utensils that are going to be touching the food is properly washed, this is especially true if dealing with meat. Uncooked meat already has several bacterias on and in it, and contaminated utensils that touch the meat only heighten that risk.
Secondly, food should always be cooked thoroughly. High temperatures kill bacteria in food such as E coli and salmonella.
Making sure that proper cleanup takes places after preparation of a meal is another precaution to take when dealing with food, expired or not. Washing your hands is one of the most important things to remember. Using antibacterial hand soap is the best cure for your hands once you've handled foods past their 'use by' date.
A lot of whether or not food can be consumed after the expiration date is a judgement call. If you look at food and it automatically makes you say 'yuck' then it is probably best not to eat that food.
But you also don't want to be caught in the fury of throwing away food just because today is the day it is supposed to expire. Throwing a loaf of bread away that you ate from yesterday is simply a waste of money, especially if the bread has no evidence of mold.
Symptoms of eating food that is bad often include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal cramping. This can often result in food poisoning and one should seek medical treatment as soon as symptoms occur.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture does not actually require products to have 'sell by' or 'use by' dates on them. However, more than 20 state laws do require this. According to the USDA, if a state does require a 'sell by' or 'use by' date, it must display month, day, and year on the product. It must also use phrases such as 'sell by' or 'use before.'
According to ShelfLifeAdvice.com, there are five foods that we are most weary about when it comes to expiration dates: milk, cottage cheese, mayonnaise, yogurt, and eggs. Here are some examples of how food can still be good past its expiration date.
Milk: If properly refrigerated, milk will remain safe, nutritious, and tasty for about a week after the sell-by date and will probably be safe to drink longer than that, though there’s a decline in nutritional value and taste.
Cottage cheese: Pasteurized cottage cheese lasts for 10-14 days after the date on the carton.
Mayonnaise: Unopened, refrigerated Kraft mayonnaise can be kept for 30 days after its expiration date or 3-4 months after opening, the company told ShelfLifeAdvice.
Yogurt: Yogurt will remain good 7-10 days after its sell-by date.
Eggs: Properly refrigerated eggs should last at least 3-5 weeks after the sell-by date, according to Professor Joe Regenstein, a food scientist at Cornell University.
In no way is the consumption of rotten or actually expired food being promoted, but it has been surveyed that Americans throw away perfectly good food and in turn are throwing away their hard earned dollar.
Follow simple instructions on how to handle, store, and prepare food and research how long certain foods can stay good after the indicated date on the package. This will make grocery shopping much easier and may save your family an upwards of $600. Vacation anyone?
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Are you one of those people who throw away food as soon as the 'use by' or 'sell by' date comes up? If so, you could be wasting perfectly good food and throwing money down the drain.
According to Yahoo! News, Americans throw away about 14 percent of food each year, which averages about $600 per family, but this money wasted could be just that, wasted, if people are not aware of what 'use by' and 'sell by' dates really mean.
"The 'use-by' or 'best if used-by' date indicates the last day that the item is at its best quality as far as taste, texture, appearance, odor, and nutritional value. The decline after that is gradual. The use-by date refers to product that has not yet been opened," according to Yahoo!
"The 'sell by' date is not really a matter of food safety, but a notice to stores that the product should be taken off the shelf because it will begin to decline in quality after that date," stated Yahoo!
What this means is once the date on food has come up or past, that does not mean the food is no longer good. It simply means that your chips may not be as crisp, or your candy may be a little harder.
If food is frozen past the 'sell by' or 'use by' date, it is often still good and can be eaten as long as certain procedures are taken.
According to healthkicker.com, there are a few things to be cautious of when dealing with food that is past is expiration date.
First off, make sure all utensils that are going to be touching the food is properly washed, this is especially true if dealing with meat. Uncooked meat already has several bacterias on and in it, and contaminated utensils that touch the meat only heighten that risk.
Secondly, food should always be cooked thoroughly. High temperatures kill bacteria in food such as E coli and salmonella.
Making sure that proper cleanup takes places after preparation of a meal is another precaution to take when dealing with food, expired or not. Washing your hands is one of the most important things to remember. Using antibacterial hand soap is the best cure for your hands once you've handled foods past their 'use by' date.
A lot of whether or not food can be consumed after the expiration date is a judgement call. If you look at food and it automatically makes you say 'yuck' then it is probably best not to eat that food.
But you also don't want to be caught in the fury of throwing away food just because today is the day it is supposed to expire. Throwing a loaf of bread away that you ate from yesterday is simply a waste of money, especially if the bread has no evidence of mold.
Symptoms of eating food that is bad often include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal cramping. This can often result in food poisoning and one should seek medical treatment as soon as symptoms occur.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture does not actually require products to have 'sell by' or 'use by' dates on them. However, more than 20 state laws do require this. According to the USDA, if a state does require a 'sell by' or 'use by' date, it must display month, day, and year on the product. It must also use phrases such as 'sell by' or 'use before.'
According to ShelfLifeAdvice.com, there are five foods that we are most weary about when it comes to expiration dates: milk, cottage cheese, mayonnaise, yogurt, and eggs. Here are some examples of how food can still be good past its expiration date.
Milk: If properly refrigerated, milk will remain safe, nutritious, and tasty for about a week after the sell-by date and will probably be safe to drink longer than that, though there’s a decline in nutritional value and taste.
Cottage cheese: Pasteurized cottage cheese lasts for 10-14 days after the date on the carton.
Mayonnaise: Unopened, refrigerated Kraft mayonnaise can be kept for 30 days after its expiration date or 3-4 months after opening, the company told ShelfLifeAdvice.
Yogurt: Yogurt will remain good 7-10 days after its sell-by date.
Eggs: Properly refrigerated eggs should last at least 3-5 weeks after the sell-by date, according to Professor Joe Regenstein, a food scientist at Cornell University.
In no way is the consumption of rotten or actually expired food being promoted, but it has been surveyed that Americans throw away perfectly good food and in turn are throwing away their hard earned dollar.
Follow simple instructions on how to handle, store, and prepare food and research how long certain foods can stay good after the indicated date on the package. This will make grocery shopping much easier and may save your family an upwards of $600. Vacation anyone?
