Everyone come on safe food address a little differently . Some people bank on the odor trial ; others are exacting about washing their hands .
But according to a newsurvey , consumers consume food — a lot of food — because they do n’t read the significance of the expiration date on the food for thought labels .
The online survey , led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future and published in the journalWaste Management , pollard 1029 respondents about their knowledge of food for thought label that use terms like “ estimable if used by , ” “ sell by , ” or “ use by . ” Roughly 84 percent said they opt to discard food for thought on or near the so - call expiration date stamp at least once in a while , while 37 percent say they did it on a regular foundation . Just over a third of those polled believed such nutrient labels — often regain on packaged dry food as well as bread and canned goods — were federally regulated , which they are n’t .
The sketch indicates some confusion over food labeling . Typically , “ best by ” and “ sell by ” label are meant to indicate when a food for thought might begin to experience diminished freshness or quality , not an expiration date by which it could flub or become a potential root of solid food - borne illness . By fling these foods untimely , researchers say , consumers are contribute to a solid food dissipation problem . The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimate that up to 31 percent of consumable nutrient is wasted at both the retail and consumer levels .
shopper are n’t of necessity to blame . The labels often have no explicit explanation on packaging , leaving phrase like “ good if used by ” candid to interpretation . Even private land have dissimilar standards for items likemilk , with some using a “ sell by ” engagement ( with the milk typically beneficial for five sidereal day after ) and others stick to a “ usance by ” date .
Other pantry foods may have exhalation dates but couldconceivablylast for years , like sugar , salinity , and honey .
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Newer solid food manufacture standards may exculpate up some of this confusion , with “ use by ” designated purely for item where guard is a concern and other terms ( including " best if used by " ) meant to refer quality . Taking the " use by " suggestion is especially important with food shop meats and cheeses that can produce bacterium likeListeriain refrigerated environments . Until there ’s a universally recognized banner , however , consumers are potential to remain uncertain about what these term mean .
So what ’s the best advance to interpreting intellectual nourishment labels ? For juiceless or non - perishable good , dates are often a marker of tone , and you ’re not likely to do yourself any harm by keeping the nutrient around longer . Perishable commodity should be discarded when their “ utilisation by ” date have make it . But no matter what the package enounce , if does n’t smell or look quite correct , recording label ittrashand go shopping .
[ h / tScienceDaily ]
