Some of the food wasted by Americans in just one month.
As reported in the AARP Bulletin (October, p. 18) Americans now toss away one pound of food per day per household on average. That adds up to over 30 pounds a month and 360 pounds per year. At a cost estimated to be $640 / year. That's a lot of money down the dumpster, especially given a Federal Reserve warning four months ago that forty percent of purported "middle class" families can't afford a $400 emergency payout.
Well, maybe if they wasted less food per year they could.
According to JoAnne Berkenkamp of the National Resources Defense Council (NDRC) household food waste accounts for 40 percent of all food waste in the U.S. (WSJ, Aug. 31- Sept. 1, p. A2). Even more outrageous, 20 % of all household food waste is attributed to "confusion over date labels" In other words, otherwise intelligent Americans are tossing out their food because they are unable to discern the difference between the labels: "use by" - a safety flag, and "best by" - a measure of quality.
Hence, if I have a can of Spam and it states "best by Oct. 20, 2019" that means I can reasonably still use it a month later. There is no safety issue so I don't have to toss it past the 'best' date. It may not taste as great, but it isn't a safety risk. On the other hand, if a carton of milk has a "use by" date of Oct. 20, 2019 then I'd be wise to perform a sniff or "curdle" test before using it - say the day after.. Else, toss it down the drain..
In the WSJ article cited above, there were two myths articulated which were suspected of driving most of the confusion:
1- Too many consumers believe the labels are federally regulated. However, apart from the rules for infant formula they aren't.
2- Consumers too often assume the labels indicate when food has become unsafe, but until recently that hasn't been the case.
The WSJ article also reported sobering results of a study published in the peer reviewed journal Waste Management which disclosed the extent of the problem, including:
- 37 percent admitted they always or usually discard food when it is near the date stamped on the package,
- 84 % admitted they did this occasionally.
Both these occurred despite the fact (ibid.)
"In many cases there is no safety issue at stake when food is used after the date on its package and often a visual inspection and a sniff are better indicators of safety than a date stamp"
However, there are important exceptions, e.g.
"Some perishables may become contaminated with undetectable bacteria such as listeria. As a matter of safety these foods should be discarded when the 'use by' date has been reached.."
As a Johns Hopkins nutrition specialist, Roni A. Neff, points out:
"You won't be able to smell or sense it and it can grow at normal refrigerator temperatures."
Such a mistake in use is what befell me when I grabbed a bowl of German potato salad that had been in the fridge for at least 4 days. The whole sordid episode is described in this blog post from January 31, 2011:
Food Poisoning is No Joke!
Re-Fed, a think tank that works to reduce food waste has made the following rational guidelines which one hopes the manufacturers will soon apply:
- 'Use by' dates for when food is no longer safe ought to apply to ready -to eat- foods such as meat spreads, sushi and prepared salads, sandwiches - all of which require refrigeration . They could also harbor pathogens that can grow even when a food is refrigerated, or frozen.
- 'Best by' dates should be applied to raw poultry, meats, seafood, cured meats, bread and baked goods, canned and dry goods (e.g. nuts and seeds) and fruits, vegetables.
In the words of Dr. Neff quoted in the WSJ piece:
"What's really important about the new set of labels is that it will help us see that most of the time we don't need to worry. It is a quality issue, not a safety issue."
A point that needs to be reinforced to rein in the global problem of food waste. (According to a UN report, $400 b is wasted before food even gets to a store, and 14% of all food globally produced ends up wasted.) At least putting a dent in consumer waste can limit the waste especially given that 828 m go to bed hungry each day - according to the same UN report.)
No comments:
Post a Comment