Imagine pouring a bowl of cereal and opening the refrigerator to get the milk and finding that it is two days past the date marked on the container. Do you use it?
If you answered “no,” you are not alone. In fact, 37 percent of Americans always throw away foods that have reached the date marked on the container and 84 percent do so occasionally. Common belief is that products that have reached the date on their packaging are expired and unsafe to eat or drink; however, this is simply not true.
According to the USDA, with an exception of infant formula, foods that are stored properly are still safe to consume after the date marked has passed. The federal government does not require products to be date marked; however, manufacturers voluntarily date food products for quality, not for safety. Some commonly used phrases are “Best-By,” “Use-By” and “Sell-By.” These labels indicate when the product will be of the highest quality regarding flavor and/or consistency and is not meant to indicate whether the food product is safe to consume.
Local health departments are not able to enforce violations on food retailers that sell outdated products and it is not uncommon for them to be sold at a discounted rate or donated to charitable organizations. This helps to reduce food waste and hunger nationwide.
Americans are encouraged to use the package date as a reference, but to also check foods and beverages for any signs of spoilage such as an odor, flavor or texture and/or damage to the container such as dents or swelling of cans. It is important to remember that foodborne bacteria can grow in food products and cause illnesses even before the date on the package has been reached if the food has been mishandled. For example, meat left on the counter for more than two hours could become contaminated despite not having reached the use-by date on the package.
Handled appropriately, food items will remain safe to consume until noticeable spoilage has occurred; therefore, consumers should not discard foods just because they have reached the date on the package but are encouraged to examine the contents and pass judgement accordingly. For more information on food product dating, you can visit the USDA website. https://www.usda.gov/
Jessica Alesi, a Kaplan University MPH student, is serving as an intern with the Montgomery County Health Department.
