What can you eat expired. Is it possible to eat expired products
Every day around the world, people throw away tons of expired food. But it turns out that there are products that can be eaten after their expiration date. For example, the British edition of the Daily Mall announced a number of products that you obviously will not get poisoned, even if you use them a week after the expiration date. What are these products?
Research results
The competent British edition of the Daily Mall has published a list of products that can be consumed expired. The basis for this is numerous studies by experts from the UK Department of the Environment. So, such products are: cookies, pasta, cheese, chocolate, canned food, pickles, frozen convenience foods, milk, eggs. But, please note that it is possible to use these products after their expiration date (indicated on the packaging) only under certain conditions - the products must be:
- Cheese only hard varieties;
- Cookies - low-fat and dry;
- Milk - pasteurized or ultra-pasteurized;
- Chicken eggs should be stored at a temperature not higher than plus 5 degrees;
- Expired canned food and pasta can be consumed only if the consumer packaging is intact;
- Pickles and sweets (honey, jam, chocolate) can be stored for a very long time, since salt and sugar are natural preservatives.
Indeed, can we follow the experience of foreign consumers? Will we become patients of the gastroenterology department after such experiments?
Product safety
It is necessary to ask about whether it is possible to use expired products not from sellers who want to sell this product to you, but from infectious disease doctors. Their task is to investigate the impact of pathogenic microorganisms, which are naturally formed in expired products, on the human body.
We can definitely say that expired eggs are strictly forbidden to eat. Otherwise, the risk of salmonellosis and hospitalization in the infectious disease department of a medical institution in your city increases.
Microbiology of semi-finished products
Not a single microbiologist will give permission for the use of expired products. Why?
Take dumplings that have expired. Initially, this is a frozen semi-finished product that needs to be boiled and eaten - everything is very simple. But, according to doctors: no one can guarantee the consumer that the dumplings bought at the nearest store at a huge discount were not thawed beforehand. After all, dumplings are a product that must be stored at a certain temperature regime - no higher than minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Naturally, the consumer cannot control the storage conditions of the product from the place of production to the supermarket window. You can often observe the following picture: frozen semi-finished products are stored for a long time in the warehouse of intermediaries (sales representatives), who in 90% do not comply with the storage conditions recommended by the manufacturer.
Microbiology of hard cheese
Hard cheese is a perishable product. Of course, if we are dealing with cheeses containing noble mold in the composition (such cheese will not cost a penny), then such cheese can be consumed a year after its production. Ordinary hard cheese is exposed to pathogenic fungi, that is, the usual mold that is familiar to us. By the way, never buy cheese slices in stores. This is already obviously trimmed blue cheese, the expiration date of which has expired, but the seller still decided to make more money from the buyer. When buying cheese, look at its organoleptic characteristics: color, smell, structure. If you hear an unpleasant smell, see mucus on the product, weathered edges - do not risk your health, do not even think about buying such a product.
Remember that you can save on some of the food, but then, in case of poisoning, you will have to spend a much larger amount on treatment.
Microbiology of eggs
It is a mistake to think that if you eat an expired chicken egg, you will only become infected with salmonella. Do you know the smell of rotten eggs? And in them, surprisingly, there is no salmonella, but a bacterial infection.
Microbiology of chocolate
Regarding chocolate, you can be not so categorical consumer. The composition of dark chocolate (note - black, not milk) contains a large amount of natural preservatives. We are talking about cocoa butter, sugar, powdered sugar (look at the composition of the product before buying it).
If you saw a white coating on chocolate, then this means that during its storage the temperature conditions were violated: no more than plus 18 degrees Celsius and humidity 75%. In retail trade, such chocolate is prohibited by law, but it is possible to eat it. It will not adversely affect human health. Are you worried about your health? Then use chocolate as one of the baking ingredients.
Microbiology of canned food
Canned food is a product that is strictly forbidden to be eaten after the expiration date. Microbiologists consider expired canned food a real biological weapon. If you check canned food for a bacterial infection, then the result will be as follows - an increased rate of Enterobacter cloaca. It is this type of bacteria that provokes the strongest poisoning.
You should not think that if a can of canned food is not damaged, not swollen, but just has an expired shelf life, the risk of poisoning is 99%.
Conclusion
Expired products are dangerous to our health. Of course, you can use sour milk and dark chocolate as baking ingredients, but no more. The only thing that is allowed is to use biscuit cookies over their expiration date. All other products that you can buy in a store with huge discounts are dangerous.
Eating expired foods poses a risk to our health, but not all foods are capable of spreading infectious agents. For example, you open the refrigerator and, after doing a visual inspection, you find a couple of yogurts that have expired a few days ago. What to do with them?
Any person will think about it. In some families, such products are categorically sent to the trash can. And in other cases, no - expired yogurt becomes a reason for the "gratitude" of our stomach. So what is the right thing to do with yogurt? What should I do if the product has expired? What happens if you eat an expired dairy product?
Of course, there is a risk, because what for one person can pass without obvious consequences and not cause harm, can cause poisoning in others. Compared to fermented milk products such as yogurt or kefir, meat and fish products are much more likely to multiply pathogens, especially those that have not been cooked: minced meat, sausages for frying, raw steaks.
It is worth noting that no topic is more controversial than the expiration date of food, the degree of awareness of the consumer in this matter does not even play a special role here. But it seems that now more than ever, frivolity has no place in our lives, the economic situation forces us to delve into this problem, tighten our belts, rationalize spending and optimize our consumer basket.
First, let's try to understand shelf life of the product and the period of its preferred use in food Is it the same or not? Both concepts refer to the “life” of a food product, but they are not equivalent. The expiration date is the time a product is safe to consume. After this period, neither the health authorities nor the manufacturer guarantee that the product has been kept in good condition. The concept of the period of preferred use refers to the period of time when the product has already lost its organoleptic properties (taste, smell, color), but its use does not entail a risk to health. That is, based on this the expiration date will always exceed the preferred use period.
A mark on the limitation of the period of use is mandatory for all types of products, even such as cereals, canned food, spices and others, the shelf life of which can reach up to three years. But nevertheless, imperceptibly for ourselves, we neglect the use of many of them even before the expiration of the quality guarantees for these products. Due to the unappetizing smell, unsatisfactory appearance, we dispose of it without hesitation, but these products are useful, nutritious and safe for consumption. As a rule, the manufacturer is legally responsible for the safety of food for our health, he indicates the period of consumption of food in accordance with the law, thereby eliminating the risks to consumers as much as possible. But the recycling of products is in direct relationship with the environmental situation and the social consequences of increasing waste.
In this regard, it is logical to conclude that the indicated expiration date in the labeling of food products is actually the period of preferred consumption. And we discard products that could still be eaten, stored for some time, and each person and family could reduce the amount of waste in this way.
It turns out that the average consumer lacks clarity and clarity of information about the quality and suitability of food products, we have great difficulty in interpreting in order to objectively assess the suitability of food. And given that the control over sanitary standards and compliance with food storage conditions at wholesale and retail trade enterprises sometimes leaves much to be desired, we can only observe the expiration dates indicated on the label before eating food. This will be the only measure to reduce the risks to our health.
Every person who monitors his diet, when buying a product, carefully looks at the expiration date. And if you suddenly did not have time to eat cottage cheese or drink milk before the date indicated on the package - immediately into the trash can. However, there are products that can be consumed without fear for health even after the expiration date. This was told by nutritionist Carla Griskti in an article for Sheerluxe.com.
Bread
The shelf life of bread is calculated taking into account the fact that you will store it on the table. When exposed to sunlight, mold forms on it. Bread can last up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
Pickles
Canned foods such as pickles, tomatoes, and sauerkraut have gone through a salting process and are stored in a highly acidic solution that inhibits bacterial growth. Pickles can be consumed within two years after the expiration date.
Yogurt
You can safely eat yogurt within two weeks after the date indicated on the package. But only on condition that it has not been opened, or is in an airtight container.
Chocolate
If the chocolate is stored in a dark place, then there are no restrictions on its shelf life. Sometimes a white film begins to form on the chocolate, which is caused by the sugar crystallizing. But this film is absolutely safe.
Hard cheeses
Mold is only dangerous for soft cheeses such as brie or cottage cheese. But it cannot penetrate hard varieties. If mold has developed on the surface of a hard cheese such as Parmesan or Cheddar, you can cut it off and eat the product safely.
Lettuce leaves and greens
Greens don't have an expiration date. As long as mold has not formed, it can be eaten. And cold water will help to give freshness and remove lethargy.
Whiskey
Only whiskey that is stored in a barrel, but not in a bottle, has an expiration date. Take care that the whiskey is standing upright to avoid contact of alcohol with the cork, and at a temperature of 15 to 20 degrees.
Milk
Milk remains harmless to health for about a week after the expiration date. If a specific smell does not appear, then it can be drunk.
Eggs
The shelf life of chicken eggs is 25 days. But even after this period, if the eggs were stored in the refrigerator, they can be eaten. Checking if the egg is missing is very easy. Put it in a bowl of cold water. If the egg sinks, then it is not lost.
Conservation
Whatever the expiration date on the preservation is, it can be eaten within four years from the date of manufacture. The main thing is to store the jars in a cool place and away from sunlight.
Cookies and chips
Within a few months after the expiration date, cookies and chips can be eaten without harm to health. The only negative is that they can lose their crunchy properties. You can reheat them in the microwave or preheated oven for 40 seconds.
Pasta
As such, pasta does not actually have an expiration date. They can be eaten at any time.
frozen vegetables
Sealed bags of frozen vegetables can last for years in the refrigerator. Food may lose its taste, but it will not bring harm to health.
Some cooks believe that there is nothing wrong with mold on food, scientists do not always agree: there are expired products that can be hazardous to health. Some advise sniffing food so as not to throw it away ahead of time ...
Sniff rather than look at dates
It's amazing how a person could live before the advent of the expiration date label, which tells us by what date a certain product should be consumed. It turns out we can do without it. In the past, most of the time we relied on the smell of foods and then decided whether it was worth eating or not. Today, about half of the entire population relies solely on date labeling on packaging, and as a result, food that is still safe to eat is often thrown away. According to the Waste Resources Action Program (WRAP), an organization that promotes sustainable development, about 4.2 tons of food is wasted in the UK every year, which, in addition to financial costs, has a strong impact on the environment.
Photo by Alamy, The Guardian
Either we buy too much, or we cook too much, or we forget to store leftovers properly. However, the biggest reason why we waste so much food is that we don't eat it on time, and in many cases we just look at the date on the packaging and not the contents, although this date can be completely ignored. In February 2016, a supermarket opened in Denmark that only sells expired products. In the UK, Approved Food, an online retailer, sells "short-lived" foods that are nearing their expiration date.
The problem is that there are too many date stamps and it's confusing. “Under European Union law, most products must be labeled “Best before…(date)” or “Best before…(date),” explains the head of Food Poison Control at the Food Standards Agency (Food Standards Agency) Kevin Hargin(Kevin Hargin). Food companies decide for themselves what labeling and what expiration date to put on the packaging, and, as a rule, they do this together with their scientists. “All of this is done considering the condition and quality of the raw ingredients, the processing method, the length and nature of the supply chain, and the storage process, both at the retailer and by the consumer.”
“Using food before its expiration date indicates that it is safe to consume, and labeling with a “best before” recommendation indicates the state of the food’s quality,” says a Food Standards Agency spokesman. – The expiration date is usually used to label fresh and perishable foodstuffs, which can lead to poisoning if their expiration date has passed. Best Eating Recommendations are used for foods such as bread and pastries, which are unlikely to cause poisoning if eaten after the recommended date, although the quality of this product will be worse. The expiration date and recommended sales dates are indicated in order to help store employees with promotions.
In February 2016, a supermarket opened in Denmark that only sells expired products.
Not everyone panics at the sight of mold spots appearing on the packaging of tomatoes that have expired. You may very well be the one to take food out of the trash can and think it's "pretty good" when someone else in your family would have thrown it away. You may also still have a sticky 20-year-old Tabasco bottle or tin cans with an outdated brand in your home. It is quite possible that you never throw away the cheese, despite the fact that a significant part of its surface is covered with a green coating - you just cut it off.
Should I be worried about the dates on the packaging?
“The advice is: don’t eat expired foods,” says a microbiologist and senior lecturer in the Department of Food Safety at Bath Spa University. Ian Haysom(Iain Haysom). – This is necessary as some foods carry a higher risk of poisoning than others. So, for example, meat and fish are more likely to contain harmful pathogens, while lettuce or bean sprouts are less likely.” However, other factors can also greatly influence the poisoning, such as the working condition of the refrigerator, or how strongly your body reacts to the ingress of harmful bacteria. Some micro-organisms, such as E. coli or Salmonella, will not change the odor of the product. You can safely eat unopened cheese or yogurt that has expired. “But if you have children or sick people with you, then it is better to refrain from such a risk,” experts say. You can also extend the shelf life of certain foods by preparing them and leaving them in the refrigerator or freezing them.”
Photo by Alamy, The Guardian
If fruits and vegetables are dated, it is more likely to be a recommendation based on their expiration date rather than their expiration date, but this is only if they are sold raw, and not in the form of ready-made salads or cuts. This type of processed food, according to Hayes, is already cleaned and moistened, which creates a kind of breeding ground for any bacteria to live and grow. “I had tomatoes that were in the refrigerator for several weeks, and also apples that were stored in the refrigerator for months,” the microbiologist gives an example. The use recommendation label can be completely ignored if it is on cans or packages of dry pasta. “Expiry” will of course affect the loss of taste and quality, but this will not affect the state of health in any way. “A work colleague gave me a 1960s can of oatmeal; I opened it and everything was fine,” Haysom recalls.
Angela Hartnett, chef and restaurateur:
– At work, since visitors pay money, we use only the best products, and if there is something not quite of high quality, then we will not serve it on the table. However, at home, I'm not going to throw countless lettuce leaves in the bin. I had some pancetta left at home, and it already had some mold on it. And there was nothing wrong with that, because it's smoked, canned meat. If I think something is expired, I throw it away, but if I'm sure that everything is in order, I eat it calmly. I won't throw something away just because the recommended release date for the product has passed. If it's something vegan and slightly wilted, I'd rather cook it than throw it away. Although I confess that it is not so simple. I never know what to do with eggs - whether to keep them in the refrigerator, or at room temperature. But the eggs don't stay long enough in my house to worry about whether they're fresh or not. If I'm making pasta, I finish the leftovers the next day - I just add some water and heat it up.
Ruby Tandoh, food writer and chef:
There is a strong instinct for self-preservation in my family. We do not take unnecessary risks. My father campaigned all his life against licking batter from a mixing bowl: he saw salmonella and certain death in every drop of a raw egg. My sister gave us her Christmas candy because the due date had passed a month ago and one of the candies had taken the shape of a peanut. I, too, have inherited this expiration warning, which isn't really nice to admit if you work in the food world. If you work with food, it means that you are among all food, including raw, smelly and questionable manifestations of it.
The expiration date is commonly used for labeling fresh and perishable foods.
If the expiration date of the eggs has passed even for a day, this is a real torment for me: to find out if they are suitable for eating, I bring them to my ear and listen to the sounds inside them or immerse them in water to see if the egg sinks or not. If everything looks okay, then I cook them, but very carefully and deep frying. I want to be more rational in my food intake. I want to learn how to just scrape mold off food, cover my nose and eat. In testing recipes for my next book, I've already taken a few steps in that direction. A few wilted carrots on the bottom of a vegetable drawer can be a good ingredient for a salad with spicy carrots and chickpeas, rather than being relegated to a side dish or, worse, thrown into the trash can. I'm not so hopeless.
Tamal Ray, baker, G2 journalist, physician:
– I am quite liberal in relation to the labeling “better used before…”, but even I have a limit. Once I was visiting a girl who cooked a huge pot of beef bolognese. She forgot to put it in the refrigerator. And the bolognese stood in the corner of the stuffy kitchen for three days, until a thick layer of mold formed on the food. This girl came into the kitchen while I was making tea and remembered that she forgot to put away the pot. Right in front of me, she cleaned up all the mold and put the pot in the fridge. Not noticing my horror on her face, she invited me to try: “Do you want some?” I refused, I had a feeling of impending vomiting.
Photo by Tom Hoenig/Getty Images/Westend61
That's when I really pay attention to labels, and that's when I'm shopping for products. After that, when I'm already at home, I rely only on my feelings. If a product looks and smells good and I feel it is okay, I will eat it. One of my girlfriends has a completely different attitude: if the expiration date has passed, she throws it away. I well remember how she threw out a packaged, good-looking fish and a cardboard box of still-fresh grapes just because the marked date had passed. She argued that she was no longer a student and she no longer needed to eat from the bin. I couldn't do anything about it. I just hate throwing away food. Moreover, even if the date of the recommendation for consumption has passed, we can still eat many products. It just takes a little imagination. The stale edges of the bread can become crackers or croutons. Overripe fruit fruits are good for cocktails. The only thing to be careful with is the meat.
Thomasina Miers, chef and journalist at The Guardian:
– I check the food for smell and appearance, and if the food smells and looks bad, I throw it away. I found out that yogurt can be consumed for at least one more week after the expiration date. I don't leave raw meat for long periods of time, but I'm comfortable leaving leftover cooked food in the fridge for four to five days. I have kept onions in the fridge for several weeks. At my parents' house, we found a 10-year-old bottle of ketchup, and it was still usable. However, I am very careful with some products. The easiest way to poison raw chicken. Boiled rice is never stored in our refrigerator for more than one day, because harmful bacteria can grow there, but we can store fried rice in storage.
This text is a translation of the article Emin Sarner (Emine Saner) which is published in the newspaperThe Guardian". Access date: 03/20/2016The text is published for informational purposes and does not reflect the opinion of the editors.
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