
By Molly M. Ginty
Chances are, you and your family don't always agree on whether to toss a carton of eggs or a box of crackers based on the date stamped on the packaging.
Last year, a poll from the Food Policy Action Network found that 60 percent of people have debated the meaning of food labels within their households. But confusing label terms—"Sell by," "Best before," "Expires on," "Enjoy by"—don't just cause arguments; they also cause food waste.
A 2013 industry-conducted survey from Eastern Research Group, cited in a report from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Harvard Law School, revealed that more than 90 percent of consumers have prematurely thrown away food because they misinterpret these labels as indicators of food safety.
In fact, manufacturers typically use these labels to indicate when a food is at its peak quality, even though it may be safe to eat long beyond the date on its package. Federal regulations do not require product dating for anything except infant formula. And while some states do require certain date labels on certain types of food, their requirements differ, leading to separate and sometimes conflicting state-based labeling systems.
This year, consumers will start to see a simplified date labeling system aimed at cutting the confusion. It's a small but important step in combating our massive food waste habit, which causes an estimated 40 percent of food to go uneaten in America. The new approach to labeling (described below), which many food-processing companies are adopting on a voluntary basis, will help prevent retailers from pruning their shelves at the current rate: According to one industry expert, the average grocery store discards $2,300 worth of "out of date" goods each day. It'll save consumers cash, too: The typical American family of four spends $1,800 each year on food they don't eat.
Until the simplified labels catch on, trust your gut (and your nose) when deciding what to toss and what to keep. These food-saving and food-storage tips will help.
Treat Food Date Labels More as Suggestions than Commands.
Under our current system, it's hard to know what the date stamped on a food container is intended to mean. In some cases, the dates aren't even meant to communicate with consumers. "Sell by" dates, for instance, are intended for grocers to use in managing their inventory. True, some foods have short shelf lives, but many others have surprising staying power.
"Condiments stored properly in the pantry or fridge can be good for years," said Ted Labuza, PhD, a professor of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. "Canned foods—though labeled safe for about three years—can potentially last for decades. Let your nose—and maybe a few nibbles—serve as your best guides," Labuza said. You'll want to get rid of anything sticky, smelly or slimy.
Use Your Senses and Then Get Creative.
Food is a living thing, and from the moment of harvest, it begins to decompose. But just because your bread is drying up or your bananas are going brown, it doesn't mean they're spoiled. (Mold, of course, is a different story.)
While some signs of food damage are red flags—such as an open scratch on a pear where bacteria could potentially grow—many flaws are harmless. Others just require a little bit of kitchen savvy to get past. Whip brown bananas into smoothies, for example, or turn stale bread into toast. Soak tired veggies in ice water. Sauté your wilting greens. Cook too-soft tomatoes into soup. There are plenty of ways to salvage foods slightly past their prime. And if all really is lost? Compost.
Maximize Your Food's Life Span with These Six Storage Tips.
1. Place produce in sealed packaging and refrigerate it. (There are some exceptions, like bananas, potatoes and onions, for example, which are best kept just below room temperature).
2. Keep your refrigerator at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Reserve the coldest part of your fridge (usually the bottom) for fish, poultry, prepared foods and other items that are highly perishable. Place items like drinks, snacks and condiments on an upper shelf or in a door compartment.
4. If cans are dented, bulging or misshapen, throw them out (bacteria inside can cause their contents to swell).
5. Store nonperishable pantry items in a cool, dry place—i.e., not in a cabinet above your stove or in direct sunlight.
6. Don't leave perishable foods out (placing milk on a countertop for one to two hours can rob it of a full three hours of refrigerator shelf life).
Look Out for New Labels.
In 2017, the Food Marketing Institute and the Grocery Manufacturers Association developed new voluntary guidelines for food date labeling for their members. The new system greatly simplifies the wording used on food date labels, trimming them down to these two terms:
- "Best if used by" describes product quality. The product may not taste or perform as expected after the date, but it is safe to use or consume.
- "Use by" applies to the much smaller number of products that are highly perishable or for which a food safety concern may arise over time. Such products should be consumed by the date shown on the package. After that, they should be discarded.
"While the 'use by' label ensures a perishable product is safe, the 'best if used by' label ensures a nonperishable one is of good quality," said Meghan Stasz, the senior director of sustainability for the Grocery Manufacturers Association.
Walmart, the largest U.S. retailer, helped catalyze the shift to simplified labels and is slashing the number of labels on its Great Value food products from a total of 47 down to just one, which will be the "best if used by" date.
"Though major industry players are following suit and quickly adopting the new labels, we still hope to codify this into federal law," said JoAnne Berkenkamp, a senior advocate at NRDC. "Federal legislation would avoid the confusing patchwork of state standards that now exists and would help educate consumers about what the labels do and don't mean."
During the phase-in period for the voluntary standards, shoppers may still encounter the old panoply of labels. But Stasz said industry leaders "expect to see broad adoption of these standards by the end of 2018," regardless of whether Congress takes action.
Molly M. Ginty is a freelance health writer and yoga instructor in New York City, She has written for Ms., Utne Reader, Marie Claire, Planned Parenthood, PBS.org and Women's eNews. An avid runner and sometime photographer, she lives in Harlem.
‘Existential Threat to Our Survival’: See the 19 Australian Ecosystems Already Collapsing
By Dana M Bergstrom, Euan Ritchie, Lesley Hughes and Michael Depledge
In 1992, 1,700 scientists warned that human beings and the natural world were "on a collision course." Seventeen years later, scientists described planetary boundaries within which humans and other life could have a "safe space to operate." These are environmental thresholds, such as the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and changes in land use.
The Good and Bad News
<p><span>Ecosystems consist of living and non-living components, and their interactions. They work like a super-complex engine: when some components are removed or stop working, knock-on consequences can lead to system failure.</span></p><p>Our study is based on measured data and observations, not modeling or predictions for the future. Encouragingly, not all ecosystems we examined have collapsed across their entire range. We still have, for instance, some intact reefs on the Great Barrier Reef, especially in deeper waters. And northern Australia has some of the most intact and least-modified stretches of savanna woodlands on Earth.</p><p><span>Still, collapses are happening, including in regions critical for growing food. This includes the </span><a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/importance-murray-darling-basin/where-basin" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Murray-Darling Basin</a><span>, which covers around 14% of Australia's landmass. Its rivers and other freshwater systems support more than </span><a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/latestproducts/94F2007584736094CA2574A50014B1B6?opendocument" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">30% of Australia's food</a><span> production.</span></p><p><span></span><span>The effects of floods, fires, heatwaves and storms do not stop at farm gates; they're felt equally in agricultural areas and natural ecosystems. We shouldn't forget how towns ran out of </span><a href="https://www.mdba.gov.au/issues-murray-darling-basin/drought#effects" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">drinking water</a><span> during the recent drought.</span></p><p><span></span><span>Drinking water is also at risk when ecosystems collapse in our water catchments. In Victoria, for example, the degradation of giant </span><a href="https://theconversation.com/logging-must-stop-in-melbournes-biggest-water-supply-catchment-106922" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mountain Ash forests</a><span> greatly reduces the amount of water flowing through the Thompson catchment, threatening nearly five million people's drinking water in Melbourne.</span></p><p>This is a dire <em data-redactor-tag="em">wake-up</em> call — not just a <em data-redactor-tag="em">warning</em>. Put bluntly, current changes across the continent, and their potential outcomes, pose an existential threat to our survival, and other life we share environments with.</p><p><span>In investigating patterns of collapse, we found most ecosystems experience multiple, concurrent pressures from both global climate change and regional human impacts (such as land clearing). Pressures are often </span><a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1365-2664.13427" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">additive and extreme</a><span>.</span></p><p>Take the last 11 years in Western Australia as an example.</p><p>In the summer of 2010 and 2011, a <a href="https://theconversation.com/marine-heatwaves-are-getting-hotter-lasting-longer-and-doing-more-damage-95637" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">heatwave</a> spanning more than 300,000 square kilometers ravaged both marine and land ecosystems. The extreme heat devastated forests and woodlands, kelp forests, seagrass meadows and coral reefs. This catastrophe was followed by two cyclones.</p><p>A record-breaking, marine heatwave in late 2019 dealt a further blow. And another marine heatwave is predicted for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/24/wa-coastline-facing-marine-heatwave-in-early-2021-csiro-predicts" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">this April</a>.</p>What to Do About It?
<p><span>Our brains trust comprises 38 experts from 21 universities, CSIRO and the federal Department of Agriculture Water and Environment. Beyond quantifying and reporting more doom and gloom, we asked the question: what can be done?</span></p><p>We devised a simple but tractable scheme called the 3As:</p><ul><li>Awareness of what is important</li><li>Anticipation of what is coming down the line</li><li>Action to stop the pressures or deal with impacts.</li></ul><p>In our paper, we identify positive actions to help protect or restore ecosystems. Many are already happening. In some cases, ecosystems might be better left to recover by themselves, such as coral after a cyclone.</p><p>In other cases, active human intervention will be required – for example, placing artificial nesting boxes for Carnaby's black cockatoos in areas where old trees have been <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/factsheet-carnabys-black-cockatoo-calyptorhynchus-latirostris" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">removed</a>.</p><p><span>"Future-ready" actions are also vital. This includes reinstating </span><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/a-burning-question-fire/12395700" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cultural burning practices</a><span>, which have </span><a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-you-have-unfinished-business-its-time-to-let-our-fire-people-care-for-this-land-135196" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">multiple values and benefits for Aboriginal communities</a><span> and can help minimize the risk and strength of bushfires.</span></p><p>It might also include replanting banks along the Murray River with species better suited to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/my-garden-path---matt-hansen/12322978" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">warmer conditions</a>.</p><p>Some actions may be small and localized, but have substantial positive benefits.</p><p>For example, billions of migrating Bogong moths, the main summer food for critically endangered mountain pygmy possums, have not arrived in their typical numbers in Australian alpine regions in recent years. This was further exacerbated by the <a href="https://theconversation.com/six-million-hectares-of-threatened-species-habitat-up-in-smoke-129438" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2019-20</a> fires. Brilliantly, <a href="https://www.zoo.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Zoos Victoria</a> anticipated this pressure and developed supplementary food — <a href="https://theconversation.com/looks-like-an-anzac-biscuit-tastes-like-a-protein-bar-bogong-bikkies-help-mountain-pygmy-possums-after-fire-131045" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bogong bikkies</a>.</p><p><span>Other more challenging, global or large-scale actions must address the </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iICpI9H0GkU&t=34s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">root cause of environmental threats</a><span>, such as </span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-018-0504-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">human population growth and per-capita consumption</a><span> of environmental resources.</span><br></p><p>We must rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero, remove or suppress invasive species such as <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mam.12080" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">feral cats</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-buffel-kerfuffle-how-one-species-quietly-destroys-native-wildlife-and-cultural-sites-in-arid-australia-149456" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">buffel grass</a>, and stop widespread <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-reduce-fire-risk-and-meet-climate-targets-over-300-scientists-call-for-stronger-land-clearing-laws-113172" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">land clearing</a> and other forms of habitat destruction.</p>Our Lives Depend On It
<p>The multiple ecosystem collapses we have documented in Australia are a harbinger for <a href="https://www.iucn.org/news/protected-areas/202102/natures-future-our-future-world-speaks" target="_blank">environments globally</a>.</p><p>The simplicity of the 3As is to show people <em>can</em> do something positive, either at the local level of a landcare group, or at the level of government departments and conservation agencies.</p><p>Our lives and those of our <a href="https://theconversation.com/children-are-our-future-and-the-planets-heres-how-you-can-teach-them-to-take-care-of-it-113759" target="_blank">children</a>, as well as our <a href="https://theconversation.com/taking-care-of-business-the-private-sector-is-waking-up-to-natures-value-153786" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">economies</a>, societies and <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-address-the-ecological-crisis-aboriginal-peoples-must-be-restored-as-custodians-of-country-108594" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cultures</a>, depend on it.</p><p>We simply cannot afford any further delay.</p><p><em><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dana-m-bergstrom-1008495" target="_blank" style="">Dana M Bergstrom</a> is a principal research scientist at the University of Wollongong. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/euan-ritchie-735" target="_blank" style="">Euan Ritchie</a> is a professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life & Environmental Sciences at Deakin University. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lesley-hughes-5823" target="_blank">Lesley Hughes</a> is a professor at the Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-depledge-114659" target="_blank">Michael Depledge</a> is a professor and chair, Environment and Human Health, at the University of Exeter. </em></p><p><em>Disclosure statements: Dana Bergstrom works for the Australian Antarctic Division and is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Wollongong. Her research including fieldwork on Macquarie Island and in Antarctica was supported by the Australian Antarctic Division.</em></p><p><em>Euan Ritchie receives funding from the Australian Research Council, The Australia and Pacific Science Foundation, Australian Geographic, Parks Victoria, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, and the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC. Euan Ritchie is a Director (Media Working Group) of the Ecological Society of Australia, and a member of the Australian Mammal Society.</em></p><p><em>Lesley Hughes receives funding from the Australian Research Council. She is a Councillor with the Climate Council of Australia, a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists and a Director of WWF-Australia.</em></p><p><em>Michael Depledge does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em></p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/existential-threat-to-our-survival-see-the-19-australian-ecosystems-already-collapsing-154077" target="_blank" style="">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>- Coral Reef Tipping Point: 'Near-Annual' Bleaching May Occur ... ›
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