A listeria outbreak in Florida has so far led to at least one death, 22 hospitalizations and an ice cream recall since January.
People get sick with listeria infection, or listeriosis, if they eat food contaminated with soil, undercooked meat, or dairy products that are raw or unpasteurized. Listeria can cause convulsions, coma, miscarriage and birth defects. And it is the third leading cause of death from food poisoning in the US.
Avoiding unseen food hazards is why 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 by,” “best if used by,” “guaranteed fresh by,” “freeze by ” , and even the label “born on” that is placed on some beer.
People think of them as expiration dates or the date when some food should go in the trash. But 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 scientific product dating system could make it easier for people to distinguish between foods that are safe to eat and those that could be dangerous.
Costly confusion
The United States Department of Agriculture reports that in 2020, the average American household spent 12% of its income on food. This may interest you : An anonymous donation of $30,000 will benefit the Clay County Youth Food Delivery Program. But a lot of food is simply thrown away, despite being perfectly safe to eat.
The USDA’s Center for Economic Research reports that nearly 31% of all available food is never consumed. Historically high food prices make the waste problem seem even more alarming.
The current food labeling system can be blamed for much of the waste. The FDA reports that consumer confusion over product labels is likely responsible for about 20% of food waste in the home, costing an estimated US$161 billion annually.
It’s logical to believe that the date labels are there for safety reasons, since the federal government enforces rules for including nutrition and ingredient information on food labels.
Enacted in 1938 and continuously amended since then, the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act requires food labels to inform consumers of the nutritional value and ingredients of packaged foods, including the amount of salt, sugar and fat in them.
However, the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate the dates on these food packages. Instead, they come from food manufacturers. And they may not be based on food safety science.
For example, a food manufacturer might survey consumers in a focus group to select a “use by” date that is six months after the product was manufactured because 60% of the focus group no longer liked the taste. Smaller producers of similar food can play imitation and put the same date on their product.
More interpretations
One industry group, the Food Marketing Institute and the Grocery Manufacturers Association, suggests that its members label foods “best by” to indicate how long the food is safe to eat, and “use by” to indicate when the food becomes unsafe. Read also : The new food collection system reduces damage and pollution.
But the use of these nuanced labels is voluntary. And although the recommendation is motivated by the desire to reduce food waste, it is not yet clear whether this recommended change has had any impact.
A joint study by the Harvard Clinic for Food Law and Policy and the National Resources Defense Council recommends eliminating the consumer-targeted dates, citing potential confusion and waste.
Instead, research suggests that manufacturers and distributors use “make” or “pack” dates, along with “sell by” dates for supermarkets and other retailers. The dates would show retailers how long the product will remain in high quality.
The FDA considers some products to be “potentially hazardous foods” if they have characteristics that allow microbes to thrive, such as moisture and an abundance of nutrients that feed the 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 marking used on these foods and that used on more stable foods.
Scientific formula
Infant formula is the only food product with an expiration date that is both government regulated and scientifically established. On the same subject : Food donation is an oasis in West Utica. It is routinely tested in the laboratory for contamination.
But infant formula also undergoes feeding tests to determine how long it takes nutrients—especially proteins—to break down. To help prevent malnutrition in babies, the “use by” date on baby formula indicates when it is no longer nutritious.
Nutrients in food are relatively easy to measure. The FDA already does this regularly. The agency issues warnings to food manufacturers when the nutrient content listed on their labels does not match what an FDA laboratory finds.
Microbial studies, like the ones we work on as food safety researchers, are also a scientific approach to meaningful food date marking. In our lab, a microbial study can involve leaving perishable food to spoil and measuring how much bacteria grows in it over time.
Scientists are also doing another type of microbial study by looking at how long it takes for microbes like listeria to grow to dangerous levels after intentionally adding the microbes to food to see what they do, noting details such as the growth of the bacteria over time and [when there is enough to cause illness ].
Consumers on their own
Determining the shelf life of food using scientific data on its nutrition and safety could drastically reduce waste and save money as food becomes more expensive.
But in the absence of a unified food dating system, consumers have been left to rely on their eyes and noses, deciding to throw away a spread of bread, green cheese or a bag of salad with an unpleasant smell.
People might also want to pay close attention to dates on more perishable foods, like cold cuts, where 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.
