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Facing a chunk of cheddar slightly green and hairy in the refrigerator, do you store it? Or cut the ugly pieces, and pop the rest in a sandwich?
As a food scientist, I know all too well the dangers of bacteria that can hide in missing foods. But I also know that it's perfectly safe to eat cheese that looks great.
Last week, the labs of the British Meat Processors Association tell us that beef and lamb can last much longer than the usual expiry dates – up to seven weeks after production – do not not surprising either.
Modern packaging keeps the meat fresher longer, provided that it is stored properly. Likewise, if I notice that my eggs have pbaded their expiration date a week later, I'm not worried because I know the simple way to know if they are still correct. It is a sensible approach, but I am aware that I am increasingly in the minority.
Mountains – about 7.3 million tonnes – of fruits and vegetables, bread and dried produce are also stocked as the package says they would have been better a day or two earlier (image in stock)
What has been dubbed "avant-garde paranoia" is much more prevalent – a growing obsession with the perceived freshness of foods that results in the loss of vast amounts of edible food each year.
More than 720 million eggs are thrown away unnecessarily each year in the UK simply because they have pbaded their official expiration date, according to a recent study published by the Too Good To Go food waste management application.
Mountains – about 7.3 million tonnes – of fruits and vegetables, bread and dried produce are also put in the trash because the package says they would have been better a day or two earlier.
What do these labels mean and why do we have them?
According to the European Food Labeling Directive of 1996, perishable foods such as dairy products, fish and meat must have a deadline for consumption, which is a strict threshold when food can be consumed . It is illegal to sell food after this date in the UK.
The date is based on thresholds set by the European Food Safety Agency for bacteria before they reach levels that can cause food poisoning.
The expiry date must be indicated for non-perishable foods such as dried and canned foods, but it is not illegal to sell these foods beyond this date, with the exception of eggs.
Expiration dates can also be quite vague – a date can be given as day, month, and year; a month and a year; or even just a year.
The duration indicated by the expiry date is also not fixed by law and manufacturers are free to decide.
Trade standards officials conduct spot checks to ensure manufacturers and producers comply with the guidelines. Companies may be fined for breaking food labeling.
That is the concern that the government has already launched an initiative to halve what it calls food waste from avoidable households, and supermarkets – including Tesco – have begun to delete the expiry dates in an attempt to to solve the problem.
The food labeling was introduced in Britain in 1980. Previously, we all felt the meat or drank a sip of milk to see if they were closed.
The expiry dates do not concern safety but quality. Food producers, who want to ensure that consumers receive their food at the time that is best for them, design it using a variety of criteria that can be laboratory tests, mathematical modeling, or simply based on l & # 39; experience.
Supermarkets and food stores also use release or sale dates to rotate their stocks to find out when food has exceeded its peak.
Expiry dates, on the other hand, are strict times for fast-tasting foods, such as meat products, fish, dairy products and bagged salads. If you ignore them, you may end up with a bad dose of food poisoning.
But even in this case, there is no strict rule: food can spoil before the use-by date, for example, if they have come out of the refrigerator.
Pregnant women, babies and the elderly, as well as those whose health condition compromises the immune system, should never take risks. But the truth is that it is safe to eat many foods well after their expiration date.
So, how do you know if the food is fresh without relying on the label?
In an attempt to provide answers, we evaluated a weekly store, purchased on April 16, 2019 – and suggested a safe duration during consumption, despite the indications provided on the label.
Eggs can stay fresh for months without needing to be kept in the refrigerator. An easy way to check if they are still edible is to blow them into a bowl of water
EGGS
Best before: May 4, 2019
New date: June 4, 2019
With their shell, the eggs can stay fresh for months without needing to be kept in the refrigerator.
The Food Standards Agency has indicated that eggs can be eaten safely up to two days after the date indicated, provided they are cooked to perfection, with yellow and white being solid. But this is a conservative estimate.
In many cases, fresh eggs are edible three to four weeks after the expiry date normally stated on the box.
How can I test to see if an egg is still fresh?
If it floats, do not eat the egg, but if it sinks, you can have it.
Want to know if an egg is fresh? Just put it, without crack, in a bowl of water.
If it floats, it is full of air, suggesting that it is no longer good to eat.
When the eggs begin to disappear, the contents produce gas. The egg is always good to eat if it is at one end, at the top right, at the bottom of the bowl.
If it runs flat and that it rests flat, it is very cool.
An easy way to check that eggs are still edible is to blow them in a bowl of water. See the panel below on the right for more details.
BEEF STEAK
Use by: April 24, 2019
New date: April 25, 2019
The length of time you can safely store red meat before eating depends on the type of meat and how it is packaged and stored. Make sure it is kept ideally between -1 ° C and -2 ° C, but significantly below 5 ° C.
As a general rule, you can eat whole cuts of beef (rather than chopping them, which perish much more quickly) between five and 16 days after purchase.
This is useful if you buy your meat in a stall or at an independent butcher who does not have to provide consumer labels. But if there is a consumption deadline, eat no later than 24 hours after this date. After this meat will quickly spoil, making the decision easy to make.
The missing meat has a brown or gray color and a dull appearance. Keep it close to your nose and it will feel unpleasant. If you start to cook it and it smells bad, just throw it away without tasting it.
As suggested last week's study, vacuum packed meat may last longer because there is no air conducive to the growth of microbes, which slows decomposition.
As a general rule, you can eat whole cuts of beef (rather than chopping them, which perish much more quickly) between five and 16 days after purchase.
CHICKEN FILLETS
Use by: April 19, 2019
New date: April 20, 2019
Even if kept in the refrigerator, raw poultry will only be fit for consumption one day after their expiration date. Never eat chicken that has pbaded more than 24 hours and do not exceed it if the chicken has been refrigerated.
Raw chicken can harbor bacteria such as salmonella and campylobacter, which can multiply to dangerous levels when they are left too long. Sometimes, there is no way to find out by looking or sniffing, although the chicken actually turned off a little ammonia.
Even when they are kept in the refrigerator, raw poultry will only be fit to eat one day after their expiration date.
THE WHOLE TROUT
Use by: April 17, 2019
New date: April 17-18, 2019
Fresh fish must be consumed before the consumption deadline or within 24 hours.
It should smell the sea, but a fishy smell suggests that your fish has already exceeded its best level.
Fish fillets should sparkle and be firm, not soggy. If you buy a whole fish with your head, check that his eyes are clear and his scales intact. The visible blood should be red and not brown.
Smoked fish, such as smoked salmon or herring, can remain in the refrigerator for up to three days after the expiry date, as the process of treatment helps preserve the flesh longer.
Fresh fish must be consumed before the consumption deadline or within 24 hours.
SEMI-SKIMMED MILK
Use by: April 22, 2019
New date: April 24, 2019
Unopened semi-skimmed milk will generally last two days after its expiry date, and sometimes longer. The skim milk separates, so that it looks liquid with clumps and that it gives off a sour smell. If you're still not sure, take a sip to check if it's on the turn – it's not going to kill you.
Less fat milk lasts longer.
The butter can last for weeks after its expiration date in the refrigerator, but can become rancid if stored at room temperature for more than a few days. You can also easily know if the butter is rancid by taste – it will be very unpleasant.
Yogurt can always be eaten one or two days after its expiration date if stored in the refrigerator. If it tastes unpleasant, it's probably time to throw it away.
You can freeze the milk and butter up to three months.
Unopened semi-skimmed milk will generally last two days after its expiry date and sometimes longer.
CHEDDAR CHEESE
Best before: July 24, 2019
New date: September 4, 2019
Hard cheese can be consumed safely for six weeks after the expiry date, if stored in the refrigerator, provided that any visible mold is removed.
Parmesan peels freeze well for up to three months and can be added directly to soups and stews.
Soft cheeses such as Brie and Camembert can remain good to eat until one week after the expiry date, but unless they are open. Do not eat them if there is mold, as it can grow alongside harmful bacteria such as listeria and E. coli.
Hard cheese can be eaten safely for six weeks after the expiry date if stored in the refrigerator
BREADED BREAD
Best before: April 19, 2019
New date: April 26, 2019
Properly stored sliced bread will last five to seven days after the expiration date at normal room temperature. Bringing bread in the refrigerator, even in its bag, will make it quicker stale, because it will accelerate the recrystallization of starch in the bread. If you have whole bread that is not sliced or packed, keep it in a sealed bread box.
The bread can last six months if it is frozen.
If your bread has a little blue mold, just cut it, taking a few inches away from the mold to make sure you've cut out all the fungal threads. Discard the bread that has developed a black mold.
Properly stored sliced bread will last five to seven days after the expiration date at normal room temperature
BAGGED salad
Use by: April 19, 2019
New date: April 20, 2019
Pre-cut salads may last 24 hours after the expiry date if the bag is not opened. Otherwise, stick to the date. If you open the bag and a puff of decomposition comes out, throw in the entire bag, regardless of the date on the package.
Do not take risks – BBC researchers in 2016 have found evidence that the environment in a salad bag is the perfect breeding ground for salmonella, which can cause unpleasant food poisoning. There have also been outbreaks of E. coli related to a contaminated salad.
Pre-cut salads may last 24 hours after the expiry date if the bag is not opened. Otherwise, stick to the date
POTATOES
Best before: April 23, 2019
New date: May 14, 2019
Potatoes can be perfectly edible three weeks after their expiration date. If they have become green and grow in small pieces, cut these areas and eat the rest.
If they have become moldy, cut these sections, provided that what you eat will be creamy and firm. If they have become soft, they are still edible, but they do not taste very good.
Potatoes can be perfectly edible three weeks after their expiry date
STRAWBERRY JAM
Best before: February 2021
New date: February 2022
The jams and preserves – rich in sugar, which is a natural preservative – in jars can last anywhere from six months to a year unopened after their expiration date and I've enjoyed jams that are several years old. Once opened, they are usually good for at least a month if kept in the refrigerator.
If mildew forms on the surface of your sweet jam, you can remove it, as Premier Theresa May claims, but be sure to remove the first two or three centimeters because the fungal spores can penetrate enough far in the jam. and are invisible to the naked eye. If this tastes unpleasant, throw it away.
Jams and preserves – high in sugar, which is a natural preservative – in jars can last from six months to one year unopened after their expiration date
DRIED PASTA
Best before: October 30, 2021
New date: October 30, 2023
Pasta and rice can last two years after the expiry date if they are dry and tightly closed.
It is unlikely that they develop mold or bacteria, but they lose their flavor as they age and fade.
Fresh pasta that has not been opened should last a week after the expiration date in the refrigerator, but only a day or two if they are open.
Uncooked white rice can last for months after the expiry date, and uncooked brown rice can usually be eaten up to one month after the expiry date – the oils contained therein eventually become rancid.
Pasta and rice can last two years after the expiration date if they are dry and tightly closed
WHOLE TOMATOES
Best before: December 2020
New date: December 2021
Canned foods usually have an expiry date. Canned tomatoes or other vegetables such as beans may last at least a year after the box is sealed and stored in a cool, dark place.
Once opened, remove the contents of the box and store it in a sealed container. Do not eat if the content is unpleasant or there is mold formation.
Discard all boxes with damage such as bumps, leaks or bulges.
Canned foods generally have the longest expiry date, and canned tomatoes or other vegetables such as beans may last at least one year after that date.
DART AND MEAT
Use by: April 23, 2019
New date: April 23, 2019
Cooked meats, including processed pies, must be consumed before the expiry date because they can cause serious food poisoning.
Processed meats can harbor listeria, a bacterium introduced during the manufacturing process and likely to cause unpleasant food poisoning.
It is essential to keep cooked meats at the right temperature in your refrigerator.
Most refrigerators operate at 5 ° C on average, but some can operate at an average temperature of up to 14 ° C. So check the temperature of your refrigerator – some models display it. If this is not your case, get a refrigerator thermometer.
Cooked meats, including processed pies, must be consumed before the use by date because they can cause serious food poisoning.
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