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Food Labeling

This is not required by federal law.  Actually only about 20 states require it, and there no consistent standard, and no U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation to define what the package is telling you. However, there are still government agencies that work to protect food quality and food safety. They include the FDA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are many divisions within the various agencies, each with specific areas of responsibility to safeguard the food supply.

The USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service, for instance, manages information and regulations that affect food safety and the quality of meat, poultry, and egg products. It also provides information about how food labeling could relate to the quality of those products.

All of these agencies continually work to improve food safety. Now with the recent passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act, the FDA will perhaps place more emphasis on preventing food-borne illnesses, rather than responding to outbreaks after the fact. This supposedly will hopefully lower the number of FDA recalls that need to be instituted after problems are discovered.

 Now, more effort is also being made to educate consumers.  Even though FDA recalls are usually reported through news outlets, there is a special FDA recalls Web page that you can go to at any time on your own to check for alerts.http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm

The Language of Food Labeling

 Most likely when you’re staring at the digitized data on a package, however, you’re probably not thinking about these actions of all these government groups. You just want to know if the food in your hands is safe to eat, Right!

“It is  confusing because there is no standardization in packaging dates,” acknowledges food safety expert Catherine Strohbehn, PhD, RD, adjunct associate professor of hotel, restaurant and institution management at Iowa State University in Ames.

Clarify the wording of Food Expiration Dates printed on packages

• “Sell by.”This date gives you tips on what’s cheap as well as food safety information. “Sell by” labeling is more for the grocer than it is for the consumer. “Consumers are fine to purchase products by this date,” says Strohbehn. “Generally stores will discount closer to this date so consumers looking for a bargain can purchase up to the sell date and then use as soon as possible.” Use refrigerated products within the next day or so; frozen goods can be stored in your freezer for up to three months.
• “Use by.”“Use by” and “Best if used by” are intended to assure consistent food quality, says Strohbehn. This type of dating provides guidance to the consumer, but the guidelines are somewhat loose. Products can last longer than the “use by” date, depending on how the product is handled and stored. “Some canned goods will keep for years if there haven’t been wide temperature fluctuations. Higher-acid products like canned pineapple have a shorter shelf life, but are still good for a year or longer,” says Strohbehn. Infant formula and baby food are significant exceptions to this rule: It is best not to give your baby formula or food after the “use by” date.
• “Freeze by.” Occasionally foods will be labeled “use or freeze by,” which means that you can freeze them for a period of time after that date.

What Food Expiration Dates Mean for Food Safety

The reality is that you can eat food past the food expiration date and it might still taste good — or it might not. For example, milk may sour around the expiration date or a few days afterwards, depending on how cold your refrigerator is.

 The risk of food-borne illness also increases after that date, especially if your storage conditions are less than optimal.

Practicing good food safety habits at home will help food last safely up to, and beyond, the date on the label. One of the most important food safety parameters is temperature. For example, canned goods in a pantry that stays consistently cool all year round will last longer than canned goods stored in a location where temperatures fluctuate between hot and cool. Likewise, frozen foods stored in a freezer will last longer if the freezer is not opened often, which causes temperature changes. Humidity is also a concern — try to keep all storage areas dry, with low humidity.

 Food safety tips that will help your foods exceed expiration dates and ensure that you stay healthy:

• Refrigerate foods at 40° F immediately.
• Don’t keep refrigerated foods out of the fridge for more than two hours.
• Keep ready-to-eat foods separate from those that are raw and need cooking.
• If a food product only has a “sell by” date or no food expiration date at all, cook or freeze the item as soon as possible.
• Make sure prep areas and storage areas in your kitchen are clean.
• If you or someone in your household is immune-compromised, be sure to eat foods by the “use by” date.
•  To do otherwise isn’t worth the risk of food-borne illness.

Food safety may actually have more to do with the habits you have at home than with the dates on the packaging, but if you want safe foods at their best, use the printed expiration dates as your starting point.

Todays Health Comments

Today withall that we seem to have going on with what we eat, I really believe I can not remember when the last ime I looked at  Food Expiration dates other than Milk and Eggs, perhaps some meats, but mostly rely on the stores doing the shelving to keep them fresh or not expiring on the date I buy them. However, if we become complacent, we may be finding ourselves not feeling so well, or the food spoiling in the frig. The canned goods are a little more lax on time frame, but may not taste as well. I have noticed even dry cereals begin to loose their freshness if set on the shelf to long. Safety  are always a smart way to keep food fresh and you healthy. Mostly important for many foods is the exposure to temperatures that are compatible to the foods ideal storing temperature.

For further Reading and Understanding Food Codes