Is it just me, or is Europe always on the forefront of food quality and standards? I ran across an article the other day that covered the European Union’s latest attempt to reduce food waste by loosening up the standards on certain “best by” dates on foods. The EU is pushing to allow more foods {that store indefinitely, just with lower quality, not safety} to become exempt from “best by” dates. They predict that it could lower food waste as much as 15 million tons {holy buckets!}. The EU has already passed the ruling that vinegar, sugar, and salt will no longer carry “best by” dates, as they are preserving agents. Items like rice and coffee are up next on the list.
Here in the US, our expiration dates and best by dates are a little more fast and loose. They are not regulated, and so there is no real standard on how long non-perishables are safe to consume. I know I personally consume them long after the “best by” date, and I have never had a problem.
Critics of the “best by” dates on food say that it leads to consumer confusion, as in most consumers don’t know that it doesn’t mean that food has gone bad, it just means the quality might begin to decline {think texture, color, etc.}, and so food is wasted unnecessarily.
You know me, I am all about any steps that we can take to reduce food waste. What do you think, would you like to see the U.S. adopt the E.U.’s pending policies on food dates? What is your policy on “best by” dates when you are cleaning out your pantry?
~Mavis
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