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Food date stamps
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Just watching the news on how the dates such as "display untill" or "use by" are to be changed to save waste.
Now saving waste is a great thing, but it realy does sum up why this country is in such a state.
Several people inter_iewed replied with "Ohh I just dont understand them" or "they are confusing"
Come on how fecking close does your familys breeding plan have to have been, to not understand a simple date stamp, when it says what the date stands for, right next to the date!!
And yes I even have a mate who thought it was odd that his can said "best before end" his reply was ofc it is after that it's finished! |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Never took any notice of these to be honest.
We only buy fresh food. We don't buy ready meals and only buy cook in sauces when we are going to use them.
We don't throw food away |
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By *abioMan
over a year ago
Newcastle and Gateshead |
"
Several people inter_iewed replied with "Ohh I just dont understand them" or "they are confusing"
Come on how fecking close does your familys breeding plan have to have been, to not understand a simple date stamp, when it says what the date stands for, right next to the date!!
"
thats harsh... because the 3 that you mention actually mean 3 different things...
display before... actually used for supermarket stocking purposes more that information for consumers... doesn't tell you when you have to actually eat it by
Best before... used so you know when a product is at perfect condition, again doesn't tell consumers when you have to eat by..
Used by.... the only one that actually gives the consumer any information!
that is why they are going to just the one... because people were getting confused!!! |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I always wonder about the logic of people who pay so much attention to those dates.
What exactly do they think happens on 'best before' day?!
Did the bottle of ketchup that was perfectly OK at 8pm last night deteriorate that much that it needs throwing away at 8am the next morning?
'Best before end' is even better. Special foods that are genetically modified to only go bad on the very final day of a given month.  |
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By *ENGUYMan
over a year ago
Hull |
"I still won't drink milk more than 2 days from opening...  "
You too??? So do I!! 
However, with regards to other foods, I work on the basis that if they haven't become a life form of their own and are trying to batter their way out of the fridge, then they are safe to eat! |
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"I still won't drink milk more than 2 days from opening...
You too??? So do I!!
However, with regards to other foods, I work on the basis that if they haven't become a life form of their own and are trying to batter their way out of the fridge, then they are safe to eat! "
Don't keep yer milk and flour in there then. Seeemples. |
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By *umourCouple
over a year ago
Rushden |
Way back in time I worked for a major food retailer. We were part of the Goverments consultation on Sell By Dates (and the like). The introduction was partly "Nanny State" and partly big business wanting a way to get us all to buy more food!
Back in the early 90's even salt and vinegar (both preservatives) had a 1 year sell by date, when in fact they would last many years. But it has worked in favour of those lage companies! I see that two posters (View & Gen?) won't drink milk after it is open two days. I buy milk on a Saturday and use it until it starts to smell.
Yoghurts are perfectly OK to use way past the sell by. I have eaten them two weeks after and they are perfectly alright. There was a "Food Scientist" on the telly this morning and she was saying that processed foods are the worst, because they would grow unwanted bacteria! Well, they must have been in there when it was packaged, so eaten within or after the sell by and you are in trouble.
Would love to see us get back to as it used to be! You looked, smelt and perhaps even tasted it and made a decision based on your findings. Also, not many had fridges and just had a large cold slab of stone in the larder/pantry..
(Blimey! Been a while since I posted after an enforced absence... But that one has broken me in nicely!  ) |
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"Way back in time I worked for a major food retailer. We were part of the Goverments consultation on Sell By Dates (and the like). The introduction was partly "Nanny State" and partly big business wanting a way to get us all to buy more food!
Back in the early 90's even salt and vinegar (both preservatives) had a 1 year sell by date, when in fact they would last many years. But it has worked in favour of those lage companies! I see that two posters (View & Gen?) won't drink milk after it is open two days. I buy milk on a Saturday and use it until it starts to smell.
Yoghurts are perfectly OK to use way past the sell by. I have eaten them two weeks after and they are perfectly alright. There was a "Food Scientist" on the telly this morning and she was saying that processed foods are the worst, because they would grow unwanted bacteria! Well, they must have been in there when it was packaged, so eaten within or after the sell by and you are in trouble.
Would love to see us get back to as it used to be! You looked, smelt and perhaps even tasted it and made a decision based on your findings. Also, not many had fridges and just had a large cold slab of stone in the larder/pantry..
(Blimey! Been a while since I posted after an enforced absence... But that one has broken me in nicely! )"
Enforced? How far up the steps did you have to sit?
On the topic of yoghurt, i once had one from my mates' fridge. Only when i had eaten it did i notice it was over 4 months out of date. However, it tasted fine, and no problems afterwards. |
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By *umourCouple
over a year ago
Rushden |
" Enforced? How far up the steps did you have to sit?
"
Nah! Sadly no spanking from Rugby this time Been without connection so could only get on here on the phone! Not conducive to forum posting!!  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Well I tend to do my shopping late at night I love a bargain and go straight to the reduced Isle and I save a fortune. Have been doing it since I was on benefits why pay full price when I don't have to. Supermarkets wastes too much food it is sickening all that wastage could go to homeless shelters or something to throw good food in the bin an outrage. Just have a look in any supermarket skip at the end of the day it is shocking. |
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I have to agree with the OP.
I don't understand how people can get confused by something so simple…. and I like the current system.
It's not rocket science is it?
Use By - do not eat after this date as we can’t be sure the nasty bugs won’t be coming out to play
Best Before - check it and see what you think (but at least you know the supermarket isn't selling you old past its best crap).
Display Until - Dear Supermarket, it's time to reduce this and get rid. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I have ignored the dates for years and picked up some great bargains( fully stocked freezer thanks to them). The only things I am careful with are sea food products. Such a waste all that good food being destroyed when perfectly edible.... |
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A friend of mine is a chef, and wanted to prove a point about yoghurt. Its a natural product, produced by bacteria, so how could it go out of date?
He left one in his fridge until a year after the date, and then ate it. He was fine. As long as it remains sealed, and no air gets to it, it won't go off! |
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It is a shame to waste food in the home... and the way food is currently labelled actually helps me see what needs using next, how long it has left and what I can hang onto a bit longer.... or even decide not to buy it in the first place.
An awful lot of the 'waste food' from supermarkets (as the news people keep calling it) goes to feed the homeless and needy via a number of charities.
What happens to them if we all get better at reducing waste.
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"A friend of mine is a chef, and wanted to prove a point about yoghurt. Its a natural product, produced by bacteria, so how could it go out of date?
He left one in his fridge until a year after the date, and then ate it. He was fine. As long as it remains sealed, and no air gets to it, it won't go off!"
also volvic water that's been 'running down the mountains for centuries' has a use by date lol... |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Lots of stuff is ok after the sell by date you just look at it n smell it to make sure its ok"
Agreed. Two of the five senses we are equipped with a perfect for determining if something is ok to eat: Smell first, taste second.
Siren is notorious for throwing perfectly good food away simply because it's been open for more than two days.
How wierd is this: she'll keep processed chicken in the fridge for a week but on a Tuesday she'll throw away the leftovers of a whole chicken I cooked on a Sunday! Drives me crackers!! |
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"How wierd is this: she'll keep processed chicken in the fridge for a week but on a Tuesday she'll throw away the leftovers of a whole chicken I cooked on a Sunday! Drives me crackers!!"
Sundays chicken is the next couple of days sandwiches!!!
Very little food waste here, beyond bones and fat cut off meat. My supermarket profile is weird, as with a large veg plot I buy just milk and meat for a lot of the year.
Also no food in bin bags means they don't stink in the summer. |
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You know when food smells off, you know, you have a sniff of it and “ewwww”… that’s actually not the nasty bugs you are smelling and you probably won’t become ill if you cook it properly.
The really nasty stuff which can kill you or make you really ill doesn’t smell.
Rice is a simple enough food isn’t it… if it has been cooked, you keep it in the fridge and it looks OK, smells OK, it will be OK won’t it? Actually some bacteria found in rice produces some really nasty toxins… they can make you ill in as little as 30 minutes.
You’d think cooking would kill off the bacteria, but in actual fact besides being heat resistant, the bacteria is dormant whilst the rice is drie and uncooked…. The moment you add water to cook rice you actually start the germination process…. and it breeds faster than a chav on benefits.
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I rang Colemans (other mustards and sauces are available) to ask why on the likes of horseradish, mint sauce, mustards and bernaise sauce the storage information said open, refrigerate and consume within six weeks on something that was preserved in oil sugar and vinegar. Preserves were made because of lack of refrigeration and last for months on end. Had something changed?
They said that their produce is fine but you could be putting a spoon or knife into the jar contaminated with perishable foodstuffs therefore tainting the contents.
I wonder how much of these small quantities of expensive jarred sauces and mustards go unnecessarily down the drain because Colemans and the like think we don't know basic kitchen hygiene?
Our nose is a primitive receptor and way back in the consciousness we know when food is off and the smell is instantly repugnant.
I was listening to a chap on Jeremy Vine show yesterday, where food labelling was being discussed and he said we know the smell of fresh milk and chicken and our brain automatically tells us from the smell the difference between fresh and off.
One thing that does get neglected in the kitchen is oils. Especially nut oils. These go rancid very quickly and can cause bad stomach upsets. Things like baking powder and bicarb lose their effectiveness too, so buy in small quantities or share with friends and go halves - wich is a good idea for a lot of cupboard store items which deteriorate but don't actually go off. |
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"Rice is a simple enough food isn’t it… if it has been cooked, you keep it in the fridge and it looks OK, smells OK, it will be OK won’t it? Actually some bacteria found in rice produces some really nasty toxins… they can make you ill in as little as 30 minutes.
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The trick is to only cook what you need, and if living alone basic maths on most recipies to size them down, or cook in batches where you can freeze part of it. |
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Does anyone remember the documentary on dodgy chicken meet processing?
One unscrupulous supplier had tons of slimy, smelly chicken portions.... what most of us would call chicken which has ‘gone off’. They washed it, used a mild bleach on it to hide discolouration and get rid of the smell, trimmed it if it still had any green bits, re-packed it and sent it off to supermarkets…. including Tesco.
You could sniff one of those chicken fillets until the cows come home and have no clue how old it was.
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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As the main reason cited by the government for this change is to reduce food wastage, one wonders if they will crack down on BOGOF deals for perishable foods. These deals tempt shoppers to take home more food than they can consume within the 'use by' date. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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i tend to buy the chicken from my local butchers and i freeze it straight away in portions that can be used.
fresh foods i only buy what i need so if i fancy some fresh veg i will buy it on the day i need it and not days before.
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"As the main reason cited by the government for this change is to reduce food wastage, one wonders if they will crack down on BOGOF deals for perishable foods. These deals tempt shoppers to take home more food than they can consume within the 'use by' date."
That's a great point. We see lots of public information campaigns about turning off lights and not wasting energy or asking us if that journey is necessary. Those who lived in the dark days of Heath and Wilson in the 70's will remember when we were advised to bathe together and brush our teeth in the dark during the power cuts.
I don't think I have ever seen any campaigns about not wasting food.
I have tried to get out of the supermarket habit of emptying my fridge to make way for more of the same I just bought. With a little effort I ate really well from the store cupboard and freezer for nearly a month - just getting fresh milk and bread. I surprised myself at the amount of food I had in the house and it shamed me. I The 'big shop' every week is to binge buy in a lot of cases and we are seduced by supermarket offers otherwise I wouldn't have had forgotten food in the cupboards - bought on impulse and probably as the result of bogof. |
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