These days, inflation drives the cost of living across the board. And that extends to groceries.
Many people collect sky-high credit card tabs to buy essentials at the supermarket. And worse, they fall into the trap of throwing things away prematurely, thus wasting money in the process.
But are consumers to blame for food waste? Not all. While some of us can do a better job of taking inventory at home before shopping and planning meals to avoid food wastage, oftentimes, we are encouraged to throw away products prematurely because of the confusing way of labeling.
Are food labels leading you astray?
Walk the supermarket aisle, and you’ll likely notice a number of different labeling conventions on the items you normally buy. Some items may have a “sell by” date. Others may have “best buy” dates. And then there are those with “enjoy” dates.
All of these labels can be very confusing, because they can make it very difficult to determine when a food should be thrown away or when it is safe to eat. See the article : 10 Foods That Look Mainly In Video Games. And since there is no national standard for determining how a product’s expiration date is set, manufacturers can use the language of their choice – although it is difficult to decipher.
Take “enjoy by”, for example. If a food has a “enjoy before 15 August” label, does that mean it can no longer be enjoyed on 16 August? And in that case, will consumers get less pleasure from eating it, or will it be completely unsafe?
It’s hard to know. And that’s why it’s so important to understand everything – to avoid wasting money on discarded products.
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How to navigate food labels
It’s a big misconception that the “sell before” date of a food is the last date it can be consumed. In contrast, the “sell before” date is simply the date that manufacturers recommend eating their product – perhaps to optimize taste or freshness. On the same subject : 5 new Netflix releases that everyone will be watching this weekend. But to be clear, food items with a “sell by” date on August 15 may be very safe for consumption on August 25. Thus, you can use the “sell by” date as a guide or suggestion instead of the Bible.
However, you can usually take more liberties with canned and packaged foods than with dairy, meat, and produce. If you purchased poultry with a “sell before” date of August 15, you may want to try cooking or freezing it on that date. But that doesn’t mean you have to take it before that date. You can cook your chicken on the 15th and eat it for the next few days.
Of course, it’s always important to use common sense with regards to expiration dates to determine if an item is safe to eat. If you have milk at home with a “sell before” date on August 15, but it smells and tastes great on August 18, go ahead and drink it. But if the milk smells sour or spills on August 14th, throw it away.
Are changes in the works?
Late last year, the Food Date Labeling Act of 2021 was introduced, and the goal is to have manufacturers use the terms “used by” or “best if used by” only on products. The logic is that a more consistent labeling language can reduce food waste. This may interest you : Emergency Food Box meets needs | News, sports, jobs. To date, the bill has not yet become law. But if it does, it could help save consumers from a world of wasted food – and money.
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