With home cooking on the rise due to the recent COVID-19 quarantine, many people are taking the opportunity to clean their food storage areas and check the use-by dates on canned, dried and frozen products in pantries, refrigerators and freezers. However, due to lack of understanding, many consumers are unknowingly tossing out perfectly safe and wholesome food.
The USDA estimates “that 30 percent of the food supply is lost or wasted at the retail or consumer levels. One source of food waste arises from consumers or retailers throwing away wholesome food because of confusion about the meaning of dates displayed on the label. Although not required by federal law, FSIS recommends that food manufacturers and retailers apply product dating (Best if used by) date to reduce consumer confusion.
Is this still ok?
This prompted us to take a look at current USDA Product Dating Requirements which can be found HERE.
Does Federal Law Require Product Dating? Except for infant formula, product dating is not required by Federal regulations. For meat, poultry and egg products under the jurisdiction of FSIS (Food Safety & Inspection Service), dates may voluntarily be applied provided they are labeled in a manner that is truthful and not misleading in compliance with FSIS regulations. To comply, a calendar date must express both the month and the day of the month. In the case of shelf-stable and frozen products, the year must also be displayed. Immediately adjacent to the date must be the phrase explaining the meaning of that date such as “Best if Used By.”
Are the dates for food safety or food quality? “Manufacturers provide dating to help consumers and retailers decide when food is of the best quality. Except for infant formula, the dates are not an indicator of the product’s safety and are not required by Federal law.”
What’s the difference in the date-labelling phrases used? In the USA, there are no uniform or universally accepted descriptions used on food labels for open dating. You’ll find a wide variety such as:
A Best if Used By/Before date indicates when a product will be of the best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
A Sell-By date tells the store how long to display the product for sale for inventory management. It is not a safety date.
A Use-By date is the last recommended date for use of the product while a peak quality. It is not a safety date except when used on infant formula.
A Freeze-By date indicates when a product should be frozen to maintain peak quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
Are Foods Safe to Eat After the Date Passes? With the exception of infant formula, if the date passes during home storage, a product should still be safe and wholesome if handled properly until the time of spoilage is evident. Spoiled foods will develop an off odor, flavor and appearance due to naturally occurring spoilage bacteria. If food has spoiled, it should not be eaten. Microorganisms such as molds, yeasts and bacteria can multiply and cause food to spoil.
Viruses are not capable of growing in food and do not cause spoilage. There are two types of bacteria that can be found on food: pathogenic bacteria which causes foodborne illness, and spoilage bacteria which do not cause illness but do cause food to deteriorate and develop unpleasant characteristics such as an undesirable taste or odor making the food not wholesome.
What do Can Codes Mean? Can codes are a type of closed dating which enable the tracing of product in interstate commerce. They enable the manufacturer to rotate their stock and locate the product in case of a recall. Can codes appear as a series of letters and/or numbers and refer to the date that the product was canned. These codes are not meant for the consumer to interpret as a “Best if Used By” date.
Cans must have a code or date of canning. They may also display “Best if Used By” dates for peak quality. If cans are dented, rusty, or swollen they should be thrown out.
In conclusion, when considering use of a product, consumers should understand that the dates applied are for quality and not for safety. Food products are safe to consume past the date on the label but regardless of the date, consumers should always evaluate the quality of the food before consuming it.
