While your aunt’s advice, called out as she roots through your refrigerator, is probably well intentioned, it’s not always correct.
The expiration dates on many foods are often misunderstood, according to Better Nutrition, which aims to help people understand how to interpret “Best By” dates.
According to one research study, “only 46 percent of participants understood what a ‘Best If Used By’ label meant. Even worse, just 24 percent correctly interpreted a ‘Use By’ label.”
The confusion can lead to detrimental effects on your body and the environment, as some of the food may be perfectly fine to eat rather than being wastefully thrown away. You may be surprised to learn that the expiration dates are “subjective and assigned to different food items by the manufacturer.”
The process of labeling foods is officially known as “food product dating” by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). It is completely voluntary for all food products except baby food, the sole exception.
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The USDA does offer general guidelines for food safety that offer more exact details about how long you can safely keep and eat foods such as canned goods, frozen foods, dairy items, meat, poultry, and leftovers.
It might be a shock, but those expiration dates don’t actually indicate when a food expires. “It’s simply the manufacturer’s best estimate as to when that item will worsen in quality. And in general, food manufacturers tend to underestimate these dates just to be on the safe side.” When it’s time to decide to toss food items or not, you can think of these labels as suggestions rather than hard and fast rules.
Because the USDA doesn’t regulate these labels, manufacturers are not held to the same standard across the board. And so there is a lack of consistency.
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How do you know what an expiration date or date label means? Here is a simple rundown of the most commonly used labels.
Sell By
When you see a “Sell By” date, it is actually for the store’s use and not your’s. It’s designed to let them know when it’s time to take an item off the shelves. You do not have to worry about that date.
Best If Used By
This label, sometimes noted as “Best Before,” is meant to indicate when a product is at its best quality or flavor. You can safely enjoy the food past that date.
Use By
Utilized to indicate when a food is at its best quality. This means that it is fine to eat, but you might not get it at its most flavorful.
Freeze By
Commonly found on meats, this term is more of a recommended date by which to freeze your meat so it’ll stay at peak quality.
Still confused? Double-check any food that might be on the verge of expiring for visible or fragrant signs of spoiling. Obviously, if you see any mold present, toss it out; follow the same rule if food has developed an unpleasant smell.
For more ideas on how you can save the planet, visit 1Thing.
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