When I’m shopping in the grocery store, I always poke around to make sure I pick up the package of food with the “sell by date” that is furthest in the future. My whole life I was told that those dates are printed on packaging in order to tell me when food is going to go bad and to indicate which food will last longer.
But as it turns out, those “expiration” or “sell by” dates mean next to nothing. Not only will this change the way I grocery shop, it is crazy to think the food industry has been feeding consumers like you and me a lie all these years.
The truth? The dates are not accurate. You need to be the final judge on your food quality…
We often live by the sell by or expiration dates so exactly that if we notice it is just a day or two after those dates, we will throw the food away without question.
But the truth is that just because one of these dates has passed does not mean the food is expired. We might be throwing away our hard earned money, not spoiled food.
The National Resource Defense Council states that these dates are not reliable measures to determine if food is spoiled or not. Instead these dates are just there to indicate when the food will not be at its optimal peak freshness. It may very well still be safe to consume.
Here’s how to check whether or not your food still safe to eat…
Eggs: Take a bowl of cold water and place eggs in them. If it is still good, the egg will sink. If it’s spoiled, the egg will float.
Cheese: The simple cheese test is that cheese is supposed to smell like cheese. If it smells like milk throw it away. Soft cheeses spoil quicker than hard cheeses. If you spot mold anywhere on soft cheese, throw the whole thing away. Just cut off the mold on hard cheese because the rest is safe to eat.
Milk: If your milk has lumps in it or has a sour smell, throw it away.
Bread: Once you spot mold on bread, you must throw away the entire loaf. Invisible mold spores have contaminated the entire thing.
Uncooked Meat: A change in color is not a red flag. But if the meat suddenly smells foul, or is sticky/slimy, throw it away.
Uncooked Seafood: If the fish or seafood is slippery, toss it. Plus, if it smells “too fishy” like it’s smelling up your whole fridge, throw it away.
Deli Meat: If your deli meats smell bad, follow your nose. Plus, if it is slimier than normal, that’s another sign it is no longer edible.
Olive Oil: Chef Marcus Samuelsson, wrote on his website, “Good olive oil should smell fragrant and fruity and taste like the olives it was made from.”
Watch the video below to learn more about expiration and sell by dates so you can be a more educated grocery shopper.
Credits: Cracked | Awm
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