When a person goes grocery shopping, the quality of the food products and their value for money are given much consideration than any other deciding factors. However, we all want food that does not only tastes good but is also safe to eat. Fortunately, there are food product dating that are provided to guide the consumers whether to buy a product or not, although not all people really understand what they mean. Confusion over date labeling in food items leads to billions of pounds of waste generated every year.
What Does Sell by Date Really Mean?
Manufacturers provide product dating as their way of helping the consumers and retailers in deciding whether a food product is of best quality. This information is not required by federal law, except for infant formula. Since there is no uniform or universally accepted descriptions used in labelling foods, there are different terms applied on product labels, including the 'sell by date' phrase.
The sell by date label is shown in many fresh or prepared foods to serve as guide as to how long the product should be displayed for sale before its quality declines. It is not a safety date, and it just guides the store for inventory management. In other words, this food product dating label is aimed at retailers to inform them as to when the item should be removed from the shelves.
After this date, the items are still generally safe for consumption, although they may begin to lose their flavor or visual appeal. This does not mean that it is unsafe to consume the food item since one-third of a product's shelf-life still remains after this date.
The phrase is chosen with the assumption that the customer may store or consume the products a few days after purchasing them. It is suggested not to buy food products that are past their sell by date to be sure that the food is fresh.
The sell by date label does not require special attention from the customers when buying food, although it can help the retailers in controlling their stock. Among all the food product dating labels, the 'best before' and 'use by' dates are the most important phrases to understand and look for.
How Do Manufacturers Determine Quality Dates?
Maintaining the optimum quality of a product is determined by various aspects such as the type of packaging, characteristics of food, and the time and temperature at which the food item is held when distributed and offered. These are the deciding factors used by manufacturers and retailers in determining the date at which the food item will be of best quality.
For instance, processed food such as sausage which are formulated with preservatives or fresh beef stored in a modified atmosphere packaging system will stay fresh for a longer period of time. Such items can last longer due to the way they are formulated or packaged.
After the quality date passes, the quality of perishable food items may decline but they are still considered safe as long as they are handled properly. On the part of the consumers, they are expected to evaluate the quality of their purchased good before consumption to determine if they start showing signs of spoilage.
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