“It is crucial for consumers to adhere to appropriate food handling and storage procedures in order to avert needless spoilage and guarantee food safety,” says Mujahid.
Contamination is the cause of foodborne illness rather than natural decay. That being said, it’s crucial to always keep your perishables refrigerated at the right temperature because bacteria like listeria like warmer temperatures. (The FDA advises keeping your refrigerator’s temperature no higher than 40° F.) Consumer Reports experts suggest setting it to 37° F. ).
But ‘best by,’ ‘use by,’ and ambiguous date labeling significantly decrease the odds that food items are fully utilized,’ claim the authors of a new study on household food waste. ” Senior author of the study, Brian Roe, Ph. D. , an Ohio State University professor of agricultural, environmental, and development economics, claims that creating a standard labeling system is essential to reducing food waste without compromising safety. However, he continues, “the challenge of consumer education remains significant because you are asking consumers to take on drastically different responses (evaluate whether the quality is appropriate vs If the item poses a risk to safety, dispose of it or compost it) based on just one brief sentence “.
The Food Date Labeling Act was introduced in both chambers of Congress in May 2016 in an effort to harmonize and clarify labeling. But the bill is still in committee in both houses.
An NRDC and Harvard University report states that manufacturers usually use lab testing and taste testing to determine these label dates. But consumers have no way of knowing the background. Dates are often conservative, so if you eat food after that point, you might not taste any different, especially if it’s been a while since the date.
USDA is doing its part to help consumers keep food from going to waste. The Food Safety and Inspection Service is collaborating with the Food Marketing Institute and Cornell University to update the online Foodkeeper storage guide, which contains storage information on a wide variety of foods. We are also developing a mobile application for the Foodkeeper to provide consumers with another user-friendly option to access good searchable information on food storage, proper storage temperatures, food product dating, and expiration dates. Before you throw out food from your pantry or freezer, check it out. It may be just fine!
No matter how long a food is frozen, it is safe to eat because food poisoning bacteria cannot grow there. Foods that have been kept in the freezer for months (see the suggested freezer times chart) might not taste as good or seem dry, but they are still safe to eat. Therefore, don’t discard any ground beef that has been in the freezer for longer than a few months if you find a package of it. Use it to make chili or tacos. Flaws in flavor can be compensated for with additional ingredients and seasonings.
Everyone has experienced this: while searching the pantry or freezer for something, they come across food that has been forgotten. Even though your first instinct is to discard it, chances are it’s still in good condition!
Here’s just one instance of how federal workers are taking part in the U S. Food Waste Challenge, supported by the USDA and organized by the U S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Producer groups, processors, manufacturers, retailers, communities, and other governmental organizations are cordially invited to participate in The Challenge as we work together to decrease, recover, or recycle food waste in the United States.
In your pantry, most foods that are shelf-stable are safe for an extended period of time. Actually, as long as the can itself is in good shape (no rust, dents, or swelling), canned goods will last for years. After the “best by” date, packaged foods (cereal, pasta, and cookies) are safe to eat, though they may eventually go bad or taste strange. You’ll be able to tell if the food has lost quality when you open the package. Many dates on foods refer to quality, not safety. See FSIS’ Shelf-Stable Food Safety fact sheet for more information.
