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Back when I was a kid, there wasn't any such thing as "expiration" dates for food and several years later, my generation is still alive.
There still isn't any such thing as expiration dates, just a big misunderstanding.
The only packaged food with an actual expiration date on it is baby formula. And in some areas, a few fresh foods may have a Use By: date. But 99.9% of the dates on food items are freshness dates, not expiration dates. And even Sell By: dates take into account normal storage times in people's homes, so fresh milk, for example is expected to be fresh for at least 7 days after the sell by date, and some dairies even guarantee 8 days or your money back. Canned goods are typically dated 2 years after processing, but are actually healthy and wholesome for many years afterwards.
The dates on foods are primarily there for stock control purposes, so the newest stock can be shelved behind the older stock. They used to be in code until consumer groups demanded they be printed in open dating. THAT confused people, who interpret them now as expiration dates, but they aren't.
Food News, Food expired? Don't be so quick to toss it
I buy day old food all the time and even can goods that are 6 months old.
News, Use-by dates are contributing to millions of pounds of wasted food each year.
A new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council and Harvard Law School's Food Law and Policy Clinic says Americans are prematurely throwing out food, largely because of confusion over what expiration dates actually mean.
For instance, non-perishable foods are just that: non-perishable. Unless they're moldy or have bugs, dry perishable foods are OK to eat. Unless canned foods are bulging or rusted, or spurt or foam when they're opened, they're safe to eat.
pickles have a use-by date, as does beer, and most things in a grocery stores..
and yes, you would be appalled at what grocery stores throw away, because of dating..
many stores have very very strict policies for "outdated" products-throw them out
years ago, some store would have a "reduce bin" for damaged or outdated items on the cheap 1/2 price or more,,,(this is not items "still in date" they are after the expiration date on package)
most stores have stopped this because of liability-just one person claims to get sick and sue's the store-
most stores do have an on-going mark-downs of items BEFORE it goes out of date-you can get some great deals
back in the day, i was a meat manager for a chain store, I would reduce items up to the date of sell (or expiration date)
but once the date arrived, i HAD to throw it out-there were days i was throwing out perfectly good meats-because of expiration dates-
the company was very strict on shrink procedures- a person would get fired if caught redating meats, or grinding older steaks into burger
so, that just left reducing items,,,and throwing them out, before the date on the package
employees did not get discounts- i couldnt bundle the items and sell to whoever i wanted and couldnt give to a soup kitchen (liability, stores are anal about liability-but just one person gets sick and its food from that store- it kills the business-if it hits the papers)
I remember my grandmother wouldnt throw anything out there was no "ick" factor in her generation, she went thru the depression.
The article itself contributes to the confusion by using the term "Expired" in the headline, and "Expiration Date" in the copy, even as they try to explain these are not expiration dates and are merely freshness dating for inventory control.
As I have said before, there is only one packaged food in a supermarket that has an actual expiration date, and that is infant formula. Everything else is really a Best If Used By date, and it is absolutely criminal how much perfectly good food gets wasted because people don't understand that fact.
I volunteer sometimes at a community food pantry, where one day I found that another volunteer was industriously going through all the shelves of canned goods, reading the freshness dates, and throwing cans that were past that date into a garbage can. The can was almost full, despite there being no good reason to discard the food, especially at a time when the resources of the pantry were being hard pressed by increased need. It took some fast work on my part to pull up the necessary references online to prove to the director how misguided this action was, and to catch all that perfectly good food and return it to the shelves before it wound up in the dumpster.
pickles have a use-by date, as does beer, and most things in a grocery stores..
and yes, you would be appalled at what grocery stores throw away, because of dating..
many stores have very very strict policies for "outdated" products-throw them out
years ago, some store would have a "reduce bin" for damaged or outdated items on the cheap 1/2 price or more,,,(this is not items "still in date" they are after the expiration date on package)
most stores have stopped this because of liability-just one person claims to get sick and sue's the store-
I hit the salvage stores all the time and buy "past dated" groceries. Last year, I bought two cases of Perrier and San Pellegrino water for 0.15-0.25 ea.
Last week, I bought a banana box filled with Meijer Organics with expiration dates 7-13 to 11-13 from a place in Indiana. I have no problems with the products at all, especially at 25-40 cents on the dollar.
The waste of food in this country is an absolute disgrace. Throwing away good food due to an arbitrary date is a complete waste.
That's 1,000,000 pounds of food thrown out every year because of expiration dates for every man, woman and child in the United States.
I don't believe it.
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Food News, Food expired? Don't be so quick to toss it
