Food expiration dates don’t mean what you think - Carolyn Beans

Summary

The script highlights the significant issue of food waste in the United States, where 37% of waste comes from households. It explains that many foods are discarded due to confusion over date labels, which often indicate freshness rather than safety. The script suggests solutions like standardized date labels, removing labels on produce, and encouraging food donations to reduce waste.

Takeaways

• 🌐 Food waste is a global issue, with the United States being one of the worst offenders.
• 🏠 37% of US food waste comes from individual households, highlighting the role of consumers in this problem.
• 📅 Consumers often discard food past its labeled dates due to confusion, contributing to food waste.
• 🛒 Before the 20th century, freshness was assessed by sight, smell, and touch, but processed foods made this more difficult.
• 🏪 Open dating was introduced in the 1970s to indicate optimum freshness, but it is not directly related to food safety.
• 📦 Food manufacturers and retailers set early dates to ensure the best taste, leading many foods to be safe beyond their labeled dates.
• 🍪 Shelf-stable items like cookies and pasta might taste stale but are generally safe to eat, while canned foods can last for years if not bulging or rusting.
• 🥚 Eggs can be refrigerated for up to five weeks, and spoiled produce can be identified by off odors and mold.
• ⚠️ Certain foods like meat, ready-to-eat salads, deli meats, and unpasteurized cheeses should be consumed or frozen within days of purchase for safety.
• 🍼 Date labels on infant formula are regulated to indicate safety, which is crucial for infants' health.
• 🏛️ Advocacy for standardized date labels like 'Best if used by' and 'Use by' could help reduce food waste by clarifying freshness and safety.

Q & A

What is a significant issue with food waste globally?

Food waste is a major global issue, with countries like the United States being some of the worst offenders. A significant portion of this waste comes from individual households.

What percentage of US food waste is attributed to individual households?

37% of US food waste comes from individual households.

Why do consumers often throw away food items past their labeled dates?

Approximately 20% of food items are discarded because consumers are unsure how to interpret the dates on the labels, often leading to the assumption that the food is unsafe to eat.

What was the typical method of assessing food freshness before the 20th century?

Before the 20th century, most people assessed food freshness using sight, smell, and touch, as the path between food production and consumption was more direct.

How did the introduction of supermarkets and processed foods affect the ability to gauge food freshness?

The introduction of supermarkets and processed foods made it harder to gauge product ages, leading to the adoption of packaging codes and open dating systems to indicate optimum freshness.

What is the open dating system and how does it relate to food safety?

The open dating system is a method where food manufacturers or retailers label products with dates indicating optimum freshness. This system is vague and has nothing to do with expiration dates or food safety.

Why do manufacturers and retailers set early dates on food labels?

Manufacturers and retailers set early dates to ensure customers taste their food at its best and are motivated to buy more, even though the food is often safe to eat far beyond these dates.

What are some examples of foods that are safe to eat beyond their labeled dates?

Old cookies, pasta, and other shelf-stable groceries might taste stale but are not a health risk. Canned foods can stay safe for years as long as they don't show signs of bulging or rusting.

What are the recommended practices for handling refrigerated eggs and spoiled produce?

Refrigerated eggs are good for up to five weeks, and spoiled produce can be identified by off odors, slimy surfaces, and mold.

What are some high-risk food items that should be consumed or frozen within days of purchase according to the USDA?

The USDA recommends eating or freezing meat, ready-to-eat salads, deli meats, and unpasteurized cheeses within days of purchase due to the risk of pathogenic bacteria.

What are some proposed solutions to reduce food waste related to date labels?

Experts advocate for laws requiring standardized phrases on date labels like 'Best if used by' for freshness or 'Use by' for safety. Other solutions include removing date labels on produce and incentivizing grocers and restaurants to donate unsold food.

How do some countries like France address the issue of food waste and donations?

France requires that many supermarkets donate unsold food, going further than some other countries in addressing food waste and ensuring that food is not wasted due to confusion around dates.

Outlines

00:00

🍽️ Food Waste and Misinterpreted Dates

This paragraph discusses the significant issue of food waste, particularly in the United States, where 37% of waste comes from households. It highlights that consumers often discard food due to confusion over expiration and sell-by dates, which are not always indicative of food safety. The script explains that these dates are more about ensuring optimal freshness rather than safety, and that many foods remain safe to eat well beyond their labeled dates. It also touches on the historical context of food labeling and the current efforts to standardize date labels to reduce waste.

Keywords

💡Food waste

Food waste refers to the discarding of food that is still edible but is thrown away due to various reasons such as spoilage, overbuying, or misunderstanding of food labels. In the video, it is highlighted that countries around the world, including the United States, waste significant amounts of food, with 37% of US food waste coming from households. This is a central theme of the video, emphasizing the need to reduce food waste and understand food labeling better.

💡Sell-by date

The sell-by date is a label on food products that indicates the last date a retailer should sell the product while it is at its peak quality. The video mentions that about 20% of food items are discarded because consumers are unsure how to interpret these dates. This highlights the confusion around food labels and their impact on food waste.

💡Open dating

Open dating is a system where food manufacturers or retailers label products with dates indicating optimum freshness. The video explains that this system was adopted in the 1970s in response to consumer demands for transparency about product freshness. However, it also notes that these dates are often set without scientific backing and are used to ensure customers enjoy the product at its best, which can lead to unnecessary food waste.

💡Food safety

Food safety is the assurance that food will not cause harm to the consumer when it is prepared and/or eaten. The video clarifies that while many foods are safe to eat beyond their labeled dates, there are exceptions, such as ready-to-eat salads, deli meats, and unpasteurized cheeses, which can carry pathogenic bacteria. Understanding food safety is crucial in deciding whether to consume or discard food.

💡Shelf-stable groceries

Shelf-stable groceries are food items that can be stored at room temperature for an extended period without refrigeration. Examples given in the video include old cookies and pasta. These items might taste stale but are not a health risk, indicating that they can be consumed beyond their labeled dates, contributing to the broader discussion on food waste.

💡Canned foods

Canned foods are preserved in airtight containers to extend their shelf life. The video mentions that canned foods can stay safe for years as long as they do not show signs of bulging or rusting. This is an example of how certain food products can be safely consumed beyond their labeled dates, challenging the reliance on date labels for food safety.

💡Freezing

Freezing is a method of preserving food by cooling it to a very low temperature, which slows down the growth of bacteria. The video states that low freezer temperatures can preserve properly stored frozen dinners indefinitely, emphasizing the effectiveness of freezing in extending the life of certain foods and reducing waste.

💡Refrigerated eggs

Refrigerated eggs are eggs that are stored in a refrigerator to maintain freshness. The video mentions that refrigerated eggs are good for up to five weeks, and spoilage can be detected by off odors. This highlights the importance of using senses like smell to determine food safety, rather than relying solely on date labels.

💡Spoiled produce

Spoiled produce refers to fruits and vegetables that have deteriorated and are no longer safe to eat. The video advises that spoiled produce can be identified by off odors, slimy surfaces, and mold. This is an example of how physical signs can be more reliable indicators of food safety than date labels.

💡Standardized phrases

Standardized phrases are proposed in the video as a solution to the confusion around food date labels. The phrases 'Best if used by' and 'Use by' are suggested to indicate freshness and safety, respectively. This proposal aims to reduce food waste by clarifying the meaning of date labels and helping consumers make informed decisions.

💡Food donation

Food donation is the act of giving food to those in need, often through charities or food banks. The video discusses how confusion around date labels has led to restrictions on donating food past its labeled date in some US states, despite federal protection for such donations. This highlights the potential for food waste reduction through clearer policies and consumer education.

Highlights

Countries around the world waste huge amounts of food every year, and the United States is one of the worst offenders.

37% of US food waste comes from individual households.

20% of food items are tossed because consumers aren’t sure how to interpret the dates they’re labeled with.

Most groceries are still perfectly safe to eat beyond their labeled dates.

Before the 20th century, people knew how to assess freshness using sight, smell, and touch.

Supermarkets began using packaging codes to track how long food had been on the shelves.

Consumers demanded transparency in the 1970s, leading to the adoption of open dating.

Open dating labels indicate optimum freshness but are not related to expiration dates or food safety.

Dates on food are rarely decided with scientific backing and are often set early to ensure best taste.

Many foods are safe to eat far beyond their labeled dates, such as old cookies, pasta, and canned foods.

Canned foods can stay safe for years if they don't show signs of bulging or rusting.

Low freezer temperatures preserve frozen dinners indefinitely.

Refrigerated eggs are good for up to five weeks, and spoilage can be detected by smell.

Spoiled produce can be identified by off odors, slimy surfaces, and mold.

The USDA recommends eating or freezing meat within days of purchase.

Ready-to-eat salads, deli meats, and unpasteurized cheeses are more likely to carry pathogenic bacteria.

Dates on infant formula are regulated to indicate safety.

70% of Americans use date labels to decide if food is still edible, and 60% would toss any food past those dates.

Experts advocate for laws requiring standardized phrases on date labels: 'Best if used by' for freshness or 'Use by' for safety.

Standardizing date labels could prevent roughly 398,000 tons of food waste annually.

Removing date labels on produce could encourage consumers to use their own judgement.

Policies incentivizing grocers and restaurants to donate unsold food could reduce waste.

Confusion around dates has led to restrictions on donating food past its labeled date in at least 20 US states.

France requires many supermarkets to donate unsold food.

The best way to prevent food waste is to eat what you buy and use your senses to determine if food is fit for consumption.

Transcripts

How much of the food in your fridge will you toss before it reaches the table?

Hamburger buns from last summer’s picnic? Milk past its sell-by date?

Carrots that lost their crunch?

Countries around the world waste huge amounts of food every year,

and the United States is one of the worst offenders.

37% of US food waste comes from individual households.

And roughly 20% of those food items are tossed because consumers aren’t sure

how to interpret the dates they’re labeled with.

But most of those groceries are still perfectly safe to eat.

So if the dates on our food don’t tell us that something’s gone bad,

what do they tell us?

Before the 20th century,

the path between where food was produced and where it was eaten

was much more direct,

and most people knew how to assess freshness using sight, smell, and touch.

But when supermarkets began stocking processed foods,

product ages became harder to gauge.

In the US, grocers used packaging codes

to track how long food had been on the shelves,

and in the 1970s, consumers demanded in on that info.

Many supermarkets adopted a system still in place today called open dating,

where food manufacturers or retailers labeled products with dates

indicating optimum freshness.

This vague metric had nothing to do with expiration dates or food safety.

In fact, it’s rarely decided with any scientific backing,

and there are usually no rules around what dates to use.

So most manufacturers and retailers are motivated to set these dates early,

ensuring customers will taste their food at its best and come back for more.

This means many foods are safe to eat far beyond their labeled dates.

Old cookies, pasta, and other shelf-stable groceries might taste stale,

but they aren’t a health risk.

Canned foods can stay safe for years,

so long as they don't show signs of bulging or rusting.

Low freezer temperatures keep bacteria that cause food poisoning in check,

preserving properly stored frozen dinners indefinitely.

Refrigerated eggs are good for up to five weeks,

and if they spoil, your nose will let you know.

And you can always spot spoiled produce by off odors, slimy surfaces, and mold.

Of course, there are some cases where you’re better safe than sorry.

The USDA recommends eating or freezing meat within days of purchase.

Beyond their printed dates,

ready-to-eat salads, deli meats, and unpasteurized cheeses

are more likely to carry pathogenic bacteria

that can slip past a smell or taste test.

And the dates on infant formula are regulated to indicate safety.

But while some of these labels work as intended, the vast majority don’t.

In a 2019 survey of over 1,000 Americans,

more than 70% said they use date labels to decide if food is still edible,

and nearly 60% said they’d toss any food past those dates.

Restaurants and grocers often do the same.

To avoid all this waste, many experts advocate for laws

to require that date labels use one of two standardized phrases:

“Best if used by,” to indicate freshness, or “Use by” to indicate safety.

This solution isn't perfect,

but some US researchers estimate that setting these standards at a federal level

could prevent roughly 398,000 tons of food waste annually.

Grocers could also try removing date labels on produce,

as several UK supermarket chains have done

to encourage consumers to use their own judgement.

Many experts also advocate for policies incentivizing grocers and restaurants

to donate unsold food.

Currently, confusion around dates has led at least 20 US states

to restrict donating food past its labeled date,

even though the federal government actually protects such donations.

Countries like France go even further,

requiring that many supermarkets donate unsold food.

Regardless of what your government decides,

the best way to prevent food waste is to eat what you buy!

And don’t forget that your eyes, nose, and tongue

are usually all you need to decide if food is fit for consumption

or the compost bin.