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Decoding Food Product Dates
How many of us have cleaned a cupboard,
refrigerator or freezer and tried to remember when we bought a food buried
in the back? On closer inspection of the food's product dating
information, perhaps further questions arose:
- What exactly is a "use-by" date?
- How does one crack a date code?
- Where can we go for more help to know if
the food is or isn't safe to use?
TIPS FOR DECODING FOOD DATING
Here are some tips to help decide whether to eat the food. In some cases
the food still may be safe; but the quality no longer may be what we want.
TIP 1:
DETERMINING TYPE OF FOOD PRODUCT DATING
Look for one of these two types of dating information on the food:
- Open Dating gives an actual date instead
of a code. It is used mainly on perishable foods such as meat, poultry,
eggs and dairy products. It helps the store know when to pull these food
from shelves. It also can help consumers purchase a food at its best
quality.
- Closed Or Coded Dating may appear on
more shelf-stable foods, such as cans and boxes.
Except for infant formula and some baby food, food product labeling is
not required by federal government regulations. Additional dating of
foods is required by some states. (See section on formula and baby food
toward the end of this article.)
TIP 2: DECIPHERING DATES
Use these guidelines from the United States Department of Agriculture Food
Safety and Inspection Service (USDA/FSIS) for interpreting the two
different types of food product dating. (www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/food_product_dating/index.asp)
OPEN DATING:
There are three types of open dating where an actual
calendar date is displayed.
- Use-By Date: the last date recommended
for the use of the product while at peak quality. The date has been
determined by the manufacturer. WHAT TO DO: The best policy is to use
the product by this date.
- Sell-By Date: tells the store how long
to display the product for sale. You should buy the product before the
date expires. WHAT TO DO: How long the food is safe to eat and/or
maintains a high quality after this date depends on the food. Tip 4
provides further information about how to use the Internet to access the
company if contact information isn't given on the food product.
NOTE: Once a food is opened, it frequently
needs to be used more quickly than it would if it remained unopened.
- Best If Used By (Or Before) Date:
recommended for best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety
date. WHAT TO DO: If possible, contact the company for more information
-- see Tip 4 if contact information isn't given on the food product. The
food still may be safe. Yet, who wants to eat (or have their cooking
ability judged by!) a baked product made from a mix where the leavening
ingredients were too old to make the food rise. Or, where the fat in a
food -- such as nuts - -turned rancid over time. One cake company
hotline said its cake mix still should taste good for three months past
the label date; however, it would be best to discard the accompanying
nuts which no longer may be at peak flavor.
CLOSED OR CODED DATING
Closed Or Coded Dates are packing numbers for use by the manufacturer. Tip
3 gives some clues that may help crack the code on canned foods. However,
there is no standardized coding system used for foods. It may be necessary
to call, write or visit the Web site of the company to help determine
whether these foods are safe and/or of best quality to eat.
TIP 3: CRACKING THE CODE ON CANNED
FOODS
There is no uniform coding system used on canned foods. Some may be as
specific as day, month and year of production while others only may give
the year. Others might include specific plant manufacturing or product
information. The most likely spot for this information is the top or
bottom of the can.
The Canned Food Alliance (www.mealtime.org)
gives these tips to help interpret some coding:
"For month coding, if a number is used, numbers 1 through 9 represent
January through September, and letters O for October, N for November and D
for December. If letters are used, A=January and L=December, unless
otherwise noted. For year coding, 8=1998; 9=1999; 0=2000; 1=2001; 2=2002,
etc."
Information isn't given in the same order
by all companies -- for example, some may give the year first, some the
month. Others may list information that has nothing to do with dating
first.
Sometimes, rather than a specific day of a month, the "Julian date" or day
of the year is given --for example, January 1 would be "1" and February 1
would be "32." These two illustrations by the Canned Food Alliance show
how this might work:
- Can code: 2061 (February 6, 2001);
2=month, 06=date, 1=year
- Can code: 0195 (July 14, 2000);
0=year, 195=Julian date -- July 14th is the 195th day of the year
For more samples of how some manufacturers code their products and
further contact information for these companies, visit
www.mealtime.org/default.aspx?id=331
WHAT TO DO:
As a general guideline, the Canned Food Alliance <www.mealtime.org>
recommends eating canned food within two years of PROCESSING for best
quality. Many cans will include a "for best quality use by" date stamped
somewhere on the can. In a well run and busy store there should be a
fairly constant turnover of canned goods, with cans on the shelf only a
short time before you purchase them, according to the Canned Food
Alliance.
IP 4: SEARCHING THE WEB
Using the Internet is another way to locate food product freshness
information, especially if you can't call during regular company hotline
hours or if there is no hotline. If a Web site isn't listed on the
product, following are two ways you may be able to track one down.
- Try to locate the Web site by typing
www.BrandName.com -- that is, type the name of the brand between "www."
and ".com"
- A food product site is likely to be a
"com" or COMmercial site versus an "edu" (EDUcational) site or "org" (ORGanizational)
site. Using the search engine Google (www.google.com), you can specify
only "com" sites in your search by typing in site:com (without a space
between "site:" and "com" after your search words).
- Once you're on the company's Web site,
information on product dates may be obtained various ways.
- Often freshness information is given in
a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section. If a company offers several
products, you may need to zero in on one product line on the Web site to
find the information for that product.
- Type these words into the general search
feature on the Web site: "code date" or "sell by date." NOTE: This won't
work if typed into a "recipe" and/or "ingredient" search feature.
- Look for a "Contact" or an "Ask"
section. This is often at the bottom of the Web page. This page usually
gives e-mail access. It also may also provide an address and/or a
toll-free number.
Special Considerations for Baby
Food Labeling
While we might decide to experiment with eating an older food ourselves,
we should avoid this practice when feeding babies. It is a federal
regulation to require a "use-by" date on infant formula and the types of
baby food under inspection by the Food and Drug Administration. Baby food
is dated for both quality and nutrition retention. As stated by USDA/FSIS
(http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/food_product_dating/index.asp):
- "If consumed by that date, the formula
or food must contain not less than the quantity of each nutrient as
described on the label. Formula must maintain an acceptable quality to
pass through an ordinary bottle nipple. If stored too long, formula can
separate and clog the nipple.
- "The use-by date is selected by the
manufacturer, packer or distributor of the product on the basis of
product analysis throughout its shelf life; tests; or other information.
It is also based on the conditions of handling, storage, preparation and
use printed on the label. Do not buy or use baby formula or baby food
after its use-by date."
When Good Food Goes Bad
If a food is mishandled, it can become unsafe before a date listed on the
package. Mishandling examples include:
- Leaving perishable foods at room
temperature longer than two hours.
- Introducing harmful bacteria through
cross-contamination. For example, a cooked hamburger is served from a
plate that held a raw hamburger.
- Failing to wash hands before handling
food, coughing or sneezing on food, etc.
Avoiding Problems
Here's a five-step plan for avoiding problems with outdated foods in the
future.
READ LABELS CAREFULLY when purchasing food
for usage dates.
- Keep a permanent marker pen in your
kitchen and put the date, month and YEAR you purchased the food on the
container.
- Practice "first in, first out," or what
foodservice professionals refer to as FIFO, for foods. If you have
purchased several containers of the same type of food, arrange the
containers so you reach for the oldest package first.
- If you tossed portions of expired foods,
buy a smaller container or fewer packages next time.
- If you can't use a perishable food by
the expiration date, freeze it. A food kept frozen at 0 F will be safe
indefinitely although it will decrease in quality with time.
Pros and Cons of Buying Food in
Bulk and Stocking Up on Sales
Frequently, it IS cheaper to buy the larger box or bottle. Getting two
packages for the price of one IS a bargain! But, the phrase "penny wise,
pound foolish" may apply if:
- The extra package must be tossed because
it wasn't used within a safe-to-eat time period.
- The remainder of the large box was
discarded because the food tasted too stale to eat.
- Additional (and perhaps, costly)
ingredients were added to a recipe using a food product that
deteriorated in quality. The resulting product had such a poor taste
that the cost of the original "bargain" item, as well as the price of
the added ingredients, was lost. The problem here is compounded by, as
another phrase states, "tossing good money after bad."
- What was to be an inexpensive,
delicious, made-from-scratch item had to be replaced by a costlier,
ready-to-go food to get company dinner on the table in time.
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Table 1. Refrigerator Home Storage
(at 40 F or below) of Fresh or Uncooked Products
DIRECTIONS:
If product has a "Sell-By
Date" or no date, cook or freeze the product by the times on the
following chart. NOTE: Learn foods that freeze well at
www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/freeze/dont_freeze_foods.html
IMPORTANT:
If product has a "Use-By
Date," follow that date. |
|
Product |
Storage Times After Purchase |
|
Poultry |
1 or 2 days |
|
Beef, Veal, Pork and Lamb
|
3 to 5 days |
|
Ground Meat and Ground Poultry |
1 or 2 days |
|
Fresh Variety Meats (Liver, Tongue,
Brain, Kidneys, Heart, Chitterlings) |
1 or 2 days |
|
Cured Ham, Cook-Before-Eating
|
5 to 7 days |
|
Sausage from Pork, Beef or Turkey,
Uncooked |
1 or 2 days |
|
Source: USDA/FSIS
www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/food_product_dating/index.asp |
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Nutrition Education Can Help Families
Cope with Poor Food Budgets
Submitted by Roseann Doran
The following report was published in
“Nutrition”, the newsletter of Cornell’s Division of Nutritional Sciences
at Cornell. The study reports on the impact of the Expanded Food and
Nutrition Program (EFNEP) administered through Cornell’s Division of
Nutritional Sciences.
The United States might control much of the
planet’s wealth, but more than 10 percent of its households don’t always
have enough food to eat. One way to reduce the incidence of families’
running out of food, a significant nutrition study at Cornell has found,
is education in food selection and resource management.
That education can help families cope with
limited food budgets may come as a surprise to economists, say Jamie
Dollahite, associate professor of nutritional sciences and the director of
the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). “Economists
point out that food insecurity arises primarily from economic constraints,
and therefore, they would expect nutrition education to have little impact
on food insecurity,” she says. Food insecurity is defined as “the limited
or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or
limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially
acceptable ways.”
EFNEP, a community based nutrition
education program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture targets
families that are at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty line
(defined as an income of no more than $18,850 for a family of four in the
continental United States). In New York State, 80 percent of EFNEP
participants live at or below the poverty line.
However, in one of the few studies to
evaluate the effects of nutrition and resource education, we find that
EFNEP participants who complete six or more lessons experience
significantly less food insecurity than those who drop out early in the
program,” Dollahite says.
Dollahite and Cornell colleagues Christine
Olson, the Hazel E. Reed Human Ecology Extension Professor in Family
Policy, and Michelle Scott-Pierce, an extension support specialist,
evaluated the food budgets of 16,146 participants in a multiethnic,
low-income population over three years. The participants were evaluated
before and after they participated. The study is published in the December
2003 issue of Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal.
EFNEP program participants learn skills
such as budgeting, comparing prices, using coupons, shopping with a
grocery list, planning meals ahead of time, and taking advantage of food
assistance and other social service programs. “And the more lessons
individuals attend, the more their ratings on food security improve,”
Dollahite notes.
Other findings:
- Farm residents did not benefit
significantly from nutrition education, perhaps because they had access
to food produced on the farm; thus, economic resources were perhaps the
only limiting factor, with little room for improvement with education.
- Residents of small towns improved their
skills more than city residents, perhaps because of the higher cost of
living in urban areas.
- Older participants appeared to gain
fewer skills than did younger participants, perhaps because they already
have gained those skills over time.
EFNEP, has helped more than 26 million
families learn how to make better food choices since its inception in
1969.
Locally, the Eat Smart New York! program modeled after EFNEP provides
education and skills training for Food Stamp Program participants in
Fulton and Montgomery Counties. Impact statements and success stories are
available by contacting the Cornell Cooperative Extension office at
762-3909.
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In
The Wake Of Crisis Children Need Your Reassurance
Situations of crisis and disaster leave parents in a tough spot. Children are very
perceptive – even fairly young children tend to know immediately when something
out of the ordinary is going on. They will ask questions and often express their concern
in behaviors such as withdrawal, clinging, or irritability. With the United States’
prolonged war against terrorism, our collective sense of crisis will likely ebb and flow
for some time.
After the September 11th attack, 7-year old Sasha asked her mother who would take
care of her if something happened to mommy and daddy. Her younger sister became
very quiet and didn’t want to leave home. The first thing 9-year-old Jacob did when he
went to school was to ask his teacher if the school was safe from bombs.
According to Sam Quick, Ph.D., and Peter Hesseldenz, M.A., with the Department
of Family Studies at the University of Kentucky, these are all common responses to violent
events and news, but all children react differently. They may experience a range of
feelings including fear, worry, doubt, confusion, sadness, anger, and guilt. Your caring
attention and physical touch will reassure them and help them express all their feelings.
A young child, particularly, may benefit from drawing a picture or acting out with toys
what he or she is experiencing. During difficult times, be extra generous with hugs and
other expressions of warmth and affection.
Talking with a trusted adult aids a child’s understanding and lessens confusing
thoughts and nightmares. When answering a question, Quick and Hesseldenz advise
adjusting your response to the youngster’s age and needs. Don’t give more details
than necessary and continue to offer reassurance. A child needs to know that he/she,
his/her family, and his/her pets are safe, and that you will do everything you can to
love and protect them.
It is OK to let children know that you find a situation frightening or dismaying
yourself. Your honesty opens lines of communication that will help your child work
through his/her feelings. Seeing you as a vulnerable person will allow him/her to
validate what he/she is feeling.
Be honest and realistic. You cannot guarantee that violence will not strike the
children in your care. Quick and Hesseldenz stress that you should strive to find a
balance between helping a child feel safe and acknowledging the existence of danger
and evil. Do this in a manner appropriate to the child’s ability to understand, placing
emphasis on reassurance.
When something shocking and out of the ordinary happens, it is upsetting for
everyone. Normality is sometimes hard to maintain. But children find routines very
comforting, so it is good to try to maintain them even in a time of seeming disorder.
Avoid unnecessarily talking about acts of violence or war in a young child’s
presence. And avoid unnecessary exposure to televised coverage of such events. Why
give a child an overdose of information that promotes anxiety? Remember, too, that
children find it scary to see adults huddled together, privately talking in worried tones.
Youngsters need to feel that adults have the situation under control. We must do what
we can to help our children feel safe.
In times of crisis, older children may want to affect the situation by helping out – a
healthy response that should be appropriately encouraged. This might involve reaching
out to victims or military personnel by sending gifts or monetary aid, writing letters, or
offering other forms of support. Encourage such gestures; they foster a healthy sense of
control and compassion and aid your child in working through his/her feelings.
As Purdue University’s Judith Myers-Walls suggests, “ Let young people help to
identify their action choices. They may have wonderful ideas.” Dr. Myers-Walls also
encourages parents to reach out in constructive ways to aid others in times of crisis.
“It will help your children feel safer and more positive about the future. It will make you
feel more hopeful, too. And hope is one of the most valuable gifts we can give children
and ourselves.”
Remain calm and in control. Children react strongly to the feelings of parents,
caregivers, and teachers. Even very young children pick up on adults’ uncertainty,
helplessness, sadness, and anger. You cannot hide your feelings, but you can rise to the
occasion and exercise your innate sense of mastery. Bring forth your inner calm,
courage, and strength. The little ones in your care are depending upon you for stability
in a time of uncertainty.
Quick and Hesseldenz urge us to help our own children and other youngsters in our
care to be optimistic. Get across the message that the vast majority of people are good,
caring individuals who will do whatever they can to help one another out. In simple
language, explain that each of us has an important part to play in creating a world that
is safe, a world that brings out the best in each of us, a world where love and creative
solutions flourish.
Finally, know when to seek professional help. If a child shows continued distress or
persistent signs of anxiety such as withdrawal, increased aggression, nightmares,
clinginess, headaches, tummy aches, shyness, poor concentration, or changes in sleep
or appetite patterns, consider an evaluation by a mental health professional who
specializes in caring for children.
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