Headline, via Insty:
Food Expiration Dates Aren't Based on Science. Here's What You Can Do Instead
Yeah, pretty much true. But the article itself starts off with:
Florida's outbreak of listeria has so far led to at least one death, 22 hospitalizations and an ice cream recall since January.
Er, hello? What does listeria have to do with expiration dates? Listeria doesn't appear by spontaneous generation when food has been sitting around too long.
Reading on:
One industry group, the Food Marketing Institute and Grocery Manufacturers Association, suggests that its members mark food "best if used by" to indicate how long the food is safe to eat, and "use by" to indicate when food becomes unsafe.
Kinda screwy, if true. I always assumed "best if used by" meant it might start to taste funny (stale, rancid, etc.) around that time - a quality thing, not a safety thing. And what's the distinction between how long the food is safe and when food becomes unsafe?
Much of the article seems wonky. I dunno how much is wonky writing, how much is wonky editing, and how much is reporting on wonky policies.
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