by Maria Portelos-Rometo, family youth and consumer sciences agent for UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County.
We’ve started 2020. When you roll over the calendar, it’s a good reminder to roll through your food pantry.
Have you looked at your pantry lately? Does it contain cans from 2010? Did you know you had a can of artichokes hiding in the back that you paid a lot for at the store? Where do you start? And, oh, by the way, what do all those food product dates mean?
Why date a food product anyways? Well, manufacturers provide dating to help us know, as consumers, when they consider the product is of best quality. But, many times, we want to look beyond just the quality of the food and focus on its safety. We all want to consume foods that taste good, but also we want to know that the food is safe to eat. Product dating also signals to retailers that they need to remove items from their shelves.
But with so much terminology like “Best before,” “Use by,” or “Better if used by or before,” what should we pay attention to? We are going to look at the terminology manufacturers use to date our foods and why some of those dates are important; what food product dates mean; a closer look at egg expiration dates; and general information and pantry organization.
Why is it important to pay attention to food product dating? It helps us know if the item is still of good quality, and lets us know if the food is safe to eat. In this post, we are going to look at the difference between the different dating codes used by manufacturers: “open dating” and “closed dating.”
Open dating is the calendar date, set by the manufacturer or retailer, that informs consumers when a product is of freshest quality, It also shows retailers how long items can stay on the shelf.
Closed dating is often an alphanumeric code set by the manufacturer to show the exact date and time a food item was produced. Most of the time, you will find these codes on products that are shelf-stable, such as cereals and canned goods.
“Best before and “Better if used by/before” dating shows how long an item will remain fresh after purchase. You will find this terminology on products such as snacks, some canned food, baked goods, and even frozen entrees. The food is safe to eat past the date, but don’t expect premium flavor and good texture.
“Use by” dating is used strictly for perishable foods, such as meat, eggs, and milk, cheeses, yogurt and other dairy products. If these items have been properly stored in your refrigerator and are un-opened, you have a few days grace after the date has passed. However, DO NOT use infant formula past its use-by date because its nutritional value diminishes quickly, and should be discarded if the date has passed.
“Sell by” dating is seen on packaging for poultry, meat, fish, dairy, and other items, and alerts consumers and store retailers that these items cannot be sold and should be removed from shelves.
Besides all the different sizes and varieties of eggs, how long do eggs keep their peak freshness? When I’m at the store and see someone standing in front of the egg area, I often notice that people are focused on whether all the eggs are in perfect condition and that none are broken. I’ve witnessed time and again that people open a carton of eggs, remove eggs and swap in others from another carton. It’s like a game of musical chairs, with eggs. Stop the music.
Yes, it’s good to purchase a carton with all unbroken eggs. But, do you know whether those unbroken eggs are fresh? Eggs are dated for freshness. Yes, that’s right. If you look on the side of your egg carton, you’ll see a date that tells you when the eggs were packed. And, if you bought a carton without playing musical chairs for eggs, all the eggs in that carton will have been packed the same day. Otherwise, you’re mixing eggs of different ages and, tied to that, freshness levels.
So what’s the story with eggs? Many eggs reach the store just a few days after the hen has laid them. Egg cartons with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grade shield on them must display the “pack date.” This is the date when the eggs were washed, graded and placed into the carton.
Egg cartons also have a “sell by” or “expiration date,” usually located on the side. The sell-by date is the last day the store can sell the eggs as fresh.
But you also will see on egg cartons that eggs are graded for quality by USDA, as AA, A or B (learn more at www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/shell-egg-grades-and-standards). For AA-graded eggs, the sell-by date cannot be more than 30 days from when the eggs were packed into the carton.
Now that we know what to look for on an egg carton, you’ll want to get rid of the carton. That is, eggs you bring home from the store should be stored in an egg bin or some other container, which will allow for good air circulation around the eggs, to help maintain freshness. Make sure to put the new eggs on the bottom of the bin, with older eggs on top. And everything goes in the refrigerator, where they can remain safe for 3 to 5 weeks if your refrigerator is set at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder.
We know that paying attention to the dates on food items is important, and that manufactures provide these dates to tell consumers about quality and, in some cases, food safety. Now we will talk about determining if or when to throw out food items.
First, let’s ask an important question: Are foods safe to eat after the date on the label has passed? Well, it depends. For shelf-stable foods, like cereals and canned goods, quality starts to diminish after the date on the label has passed, but it still can be safe to eat. For foods that are not not-shelf-stable, like meats, breads and dairy products, pay attention to the “sell by” date. Meats and breads can be frozen and used months later. Dairy products, which have been refrigerated properly, can be consumed for a short time after the sell-by date.
Remember, though, DO NOT use Infant formula past its use-by date because its nutritional value diminishes quickly, and should be discarded if the date has passed.
As consumers, we need to take responsibility for ourselves and our families to determine when an item is unsafe to consume. One way to do this is to organize your pantry, which will help you make sure you use only fresh foods.
A good way to start your organizing is to remember the FIFO rule: first in, first out. If you follow this system, you won’t find that can from 2010 lingering in the back of your pantry.
The same goes for your refrigerator. Check all the trays and shelves, bins and niches. Foods have a way of sliding out of our line of sight, and sticking around far long than they should. Anything purchased a while ago might be spoiling and contaminating nearby foods. Spoiled foods will develop an odor, and have diminished flavor and texture with naturally occurring spoiling bacteria. If a food is spoiled, it should not be eaten; throw it out.
Go one step further, and clean the shelves, bins and trays in your refrigerator on a regular basis, or sooner if you pulled something spoiled from an area. Suffering through a foodborne illness is something you don’t want to expose yourself or your family through. Remember – if in doubt, throw it out.
So, happy sorting and happy organizing! You’ll feel better and your family will trust what’s in the pantry and refrigerator.