According to the Environmental Protection Agency, food waste accounts for about 60% of greenhouse gas emissions from landfills. According to various sources, Americans produce an average of 325 pounds of food waste per person per year. Some of this can be attributed to food scraps (worried? Try a countertop composter). A lot of food waste comes from throwing out food that may still be safe to eat but has passed its printed best-by date.
Throwing out food that may not be spoiled isn't just a food waste problem, it's also a monetary one: “I've seen statistics that say that if consumers paid more attention to expiration dates, they could save about $1,300 a year,” says Christopher Greco, CEO of Storewise, a software platform for independent grocers, who I spoke to about food expiration dates.
What is the expiration date?
Once the packaging seal has been broken, best before and expiration dates no longer apply.
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“Best before dates are both a quality and safety issue,” Greco says. On the one hand, producers and manufacturers want their products to be enjoyed at the best possible condition in terms of flavor and texture, and on the other hand, they want to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
Read more: How to Preserve Fresh Herbs
Some products, such as dairy products, have a relatively short shelf life and are approaching their expiration date soon after you bring them home from the store, while other products, such as canned goods and other preserved foods, can stay on store shelves, in your pantry, or in your refrigerator for a much longer period of time, sometimes even for years.
There are many nuances in food expiration dates
If the expiration date is several years old, it's best to throw it away.
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There are nuances when it comes to expiration dates, both in terms of quality and safety, especially for products with low shelf life.
Greco illustrates various scenarios using the example of milk, a common household item with a near-expiration date. With milk, both storage and transportation factors can affect the condition of the milk, even after the expiration date is printed on the package. “If the milk is delivered to the grocery store by the wholesaler and sits in the back of the store without being refrigerated for 20 or 30 minutes before it's stored, the profile may be different,” Greco says. “If you buy milk in South Florida where it's 100 degrees and you drive 30 minutes to get home, this also affects the quality.”
Best before date, expiry date, sell by date, freeze by date
The expiration date is usually printed on the bottom of the can.
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Best before dates may also be printed in different words, which raise different considerations and may indicate more of a quality issue than safety. According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, here's what the different labels mean:
“Best before” is the date when the product's flavor and quality is at its best; it is not a purchase or safety date. “Sell by” indicates how long a store will keep a product on display for sale to control inventory; it is not a safety date. “Use by” is the last date recommended to use the product at its best quality; it is not a safety date (except for use in infant formula). “Freeze by” is the date when the product must be frozen to maintain best quality; it is not a purchase or safety date.
Several factors affect how long food is safe to eat, including storage, packaging and environment.
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While these phrases provide helpful guidelines for consumers, it is important to note that federal law does not mandate expiration dates, except in the case of infant formula. As mentioned above, none of these have any bearing on safety issues for consumption, meaning that you will still need to rely on your common sense to determine whether a food is safe to consume.
Use common sense
Some foods will last longer than expected, while others will expire sooner – olive oil, for example, will not stay fresh for more than a few months after opening.
Daniel Harvey Gonzalez/Photo by Getty Images
“I think a lot of consumers have strict rules about expiration dates, and they think it's the 28th or 29th, and if it expires on the 27th, it has to be thrown away,” Greco says, but that's not always the case, and it's often not: “You can at least smell it, taste it, and it might still be edible,” he says.
On the other hand, it's an important habit to have in any case, since you might suspect something has changed even before the expiration date, the expiration date may become meaningless when you take into account various shipping and storage scenarios, and, as mentioned above, it does not reflect federal regulations.
The USDA also recommends this course of action: “Fresh foods may deteriorate after their expiration date but are safe if handled properly. Consumers should evaluate products for quality and inspect products for signs of spoilage before consumption.” You can handle food properly by putting food away as soon as you get home, knowing the coldest spot in your refrigerator, keeping different types of food separate, using appropriate storage containers, and not overpacking food in the first place.
I purchased this chicken on March 11, 2024, but the sell-by date was only a week away.
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Read more: Chicken labels are confusing. Here's what they mean and what they don't mean
Some foods are obviously spoiled when they show signs of mold or decay, or have an unpleasant odor. (Mold isn't a reason to throw out cheese.) Foods that contain natural preservatives, such as cheeses, pickles, high-vinegar foods, and jams and other preserves, are more likely to become unpalatable or bland before they become unsafe.
In-person shopping helps reduce expiration dates and food waste
Expired meat and seafood are more likely to cause problems than most other food items.
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Greco points out that our shopping habits also influence the likelihood that we throw out food that isn't spoiled. “One factor that contributes to food waste is infrequent shopping at the store,” he says. While buying in bulk can save you money on some items, planning and stocking up for weeks or months instead of just a few days can mean you end up with more food on hand that's difficult to use before it actually starts to spoil, regardless of expiration dates.
If expiration dates have you feeling like you're being too cautious and forcing you to throw out products, visiting your local grocery store more frequently could help you better keep food in your fridge and money in your account.
Ultimately, when it comes to expired foods, you should use your own judgement — relying on your sense, including common sense, to determine whether a food is safe to eat or if it's past its expiration date.
