SAN FRANCISCO (AP) 鈥� If you鈥檝e ever tossed out a carton of milk or a container of yogurt solely because the date on the packaging had passed, you鈥檙e not alone.
Many people throw away food simply because of the date printed on the label. But often it is still perfectly edible, according to experts.
With no federal regulations requiring standardized labels for dates on food except for baby formula, it鈥檚 no surprise that deciphering terms like 鈥淏est Before,鈥� 鈥淏est By,鈥� 鈥淏est If Used By,鈥� 鈥淓njoy By,鈥� and 鈥淪ell By鈥� can be mind-boggling.
What most people don鈥檛 realize is that those labels are more about how fresh something is 鈥� not how safe the food is to eat.
is trying to bring some clarity with a new law that requires food manufacturers to use just two labels: one for quality and another for safety.
Here are a few tips to help you understand food date labels and keep perfectly good food out of the trash even if you don’t live in California.
More than 50 different date labels are used in the US
In the United States, more than 80% of consumers discard food approaching the package date label at least occasionally, by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found.
鈥淭he date labels guarantee quality up until that point,鈥� said Donald Schaffner, a food safety expert at Rutgers University. 鈥淭hey are not about the safety of a product.鈥�
Food date labels vary state by state and are determined by the food manufacturer. from the University of Maryland found that more than 50 different date labels are used across the United States.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e based on when the manufacturer thinks that product will taste its best, when its quality will be at its peak,鈥� said Rachel Zemser, a San Francisco Bay Area food scientist who helps food companies design, launch and market new food products.
Food packaging helps determine how long food is safe to eat
Unopened canned food like beans, tomatoes, fruit, vegetables, and any shelf-stable food package in liquid, will last for years after the date stamped on its label. The same goes for boxes of soy milk or boxes of almond milk, or any food that鈥檚 been heat-treated and sealed to stay safe without refrigeration.
Dry goods, like cookies, crackers and cereal, also have a long shelf life because the low moisture in them doesn鈥檛 allow bacteria to grow.
鈥淧eople can use their best judgment by smelling and tasting the product because dry crackers and cookies, and things of that nature, may be stale but they are not going to make you sick if you eat them,鈥� Zemser said.
But extra precautions should be taken with beef, chicken or fish. They can go bad even if it鈥檚 in your refrigerator, but wrapping them tight in plastic and freezing it before the 鈥渂est by鈥� date on its packaging could help it last longer.
鈥淢ost bacteria needs moisture and air to grow and thrive, so very dry products will last, but I wouldn鈥檛 risk it with meat,鈥� Zemser said.
, a website and free app developed by the Department of Agriculture, Cornell University, and the Food Marketing Institute, provides guidance on how long foods stay fresh and safe to eat.
California is trying to clarify label confusion
California became the first state in the U.S. to standardize food labels by banning 鈥渟ell by鈥� dates.
The law that went into effect July 1 requires manufacturers selling food in California to use two standardized labels: a 鈥淏est If Used By鈥� label for peak quality and a 鈥淯se By鈥� label for product safety. 鈥淪ell by鈥� dates are used by stores to ensure products are being displayed for a reasonable amount of time before quality declines, said Nate Rose, a spokesperson for the California Grocers Association.
鈥淭hink of it like an internal referencing system for store managers and employees,鈥� he said.
New York state lawmakers recently passed a similar measure for labels that is awaiting Gov. Kathy Hochul鈥檚 signature.
Most labels are about food quality, not safety
The only product legally required by the federal government to have an expiration date is infant formula. It should not be consumed past that date because its nutrients decline over time.
鈥淚nfant formula is the sole source of nutrition for the infant, and the concern is that the child could have a nutritional deficiency鈥� if given expired formula, Schaffner said.
In general, people should use their own judgment and look for signs like mold, strange odors and unusual colors to decide whether or not to toss out food.
And follow your taste buds.
鈥淧ractice your own food stock rotation, buy appropriate amounts of food, don鈥檛 buy giant amounts that you won鈥檛 be able to eat,鈥� Schaffner said. 鈥淏ecause who wants to eat poor quality food?鈥�
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