[Expiration dates could be more meaningful if they were based on
scientific studies of a food’s rate of nutrient loss or microbial
growth. A food safety researcher explains another way to know what’s
too old to eat]
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PORTSIDE CULTURE

FOOD EXPIRATION DATES DON’T HAVE MUCH SCIENCE BEHIND THEM  
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Jill Roberts
July 21, 2022
The Conversation
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_ Expiration dates could be more meaningful if they were based on
scientific studies of a food’s rate of nutrient loss or microbial
growth. A food safety researcher explains another way to know what’s
too old to eat _

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Florida’s outbreak of listeria has so far led to at least one death,
22 hospitalizations and an ice cream recall since January. Humans get
sick with listeria infections, or listeriosis, from eating
soil-contaminated food, undercooked meat or dairy products that are
raw, or unpasteurized. Listeria can cause convulsions, coma,
miscarriage and birth defects. And it’s the third leading cause of
food poisoning deaths in the U.S.

Avoiding unseen food hazards is the reason people often check the
dates on food packaging. And printed with the month and year is often
one of a dizzying array of phrases: “best by,” “use by,”
“best if used before,” “best if used by,” “guaranteed fresh
until,” “freeze by” and even a “born on” label applied to
some beer.

People think of them as expiration dates, or the date at which a food
should go in the trash. But the dates have little to do with when food
expires, or becomes less safe to eat. I am a microbiologist and public
health researcher, and I have used molecular epidemiology to study the
spread of bacteria in food. A more science-based product dating system
could make it easier for people to differentiate foods they can safely
eat from those that could be hazardous.

Costly confusion

The United States Department of Agriculture reports that in 2020 the
average American household spent 12% of its income on food. But a lot
of food is simply thrown away, despite being perfectly safe to eat.
The USDA Economic Research Center reports that nearly 31% of all
available food is never consumed. Historically high food prices make
the problem of waste seem all the more alarming.

The current food labeling system may be to blame for much of the
waste. The FDA reports consumer confusion around product dating labels
is likely responsible for around 20% of the food wasted in the home,
costing an estimated US$161 billion per year.

It’s logical to believe that date labels are there for safety
reasons, since the federal government enforces rules for including
nutrition and ingredient information on food labels. Passed in 1938
and continuously modified since, the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act
requires food labels to inform consumers of nutrition and ingredients
in packaged foods, including the amount of salt, sugar and fat it
contains.

The dates on those food packages, however, are not regulated by the
Food and Drug Administration. Rather, they come from food producers.
And they may not be based on food safety science.

For example, a food producer may survey consumers in a focus group to
pick a “use by” date that is six months after the product was
produced because 60% of the focus group no longer liked the taste.
Smaller manufacturers of a similar food might play copycat and put the
same date on their product.

More interpretations

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. But using these more
nuanced marks is voluntary. And although the recommendation is
motivated by a desire to cut down on food waste, it is not yet clear
if this recommended change has had any impact.

A joint study by the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic and the
National Resources Defense Council recommends the elimination of dates
aimed at consumers, citing potential confusion and waste. Instead, the
research suggests manufacturers and distributors use “production”
or “pack” dates, along with “sell-by” dates, aimed at
supermarkets and other retailers. The dates would indicate to
retailers the amount of time a product will remain at high quality.

The FDA considers some products “potentially hazardous foods” if
they have characteristics that allow microbes to flourish, like
moisture and an abundance of nutrients that feed microbes. These foods
include chicken, milk and sliced tomatoes, all of which have been
linked to serious foodborne outbreaks. But there is currently no
difference between the date labeling used on these foods and that used
on more stable food items.

SCIENTIFIC FORMULA

Infant formula is the only food product with a “use by” date that
is both government regulated and scientifically determined. It is
routinely lab tested for contamination. But infant formula also
undergoes nutrition tests to determine how long it take the nutrients
- particularly protein – to break down. To prevent malnutrition in
babies, the “use by” date on baby formula indicates when it’s no
longer nutritious.

Nutrients in foods are relatively easy to measure. The FDA already
does this regularly. The agency issues warnings to food producers when
the nutrient contents listed on their labels don’t match what
FDA’s lab finds.

Microbial studies, like the ones we food safety researchers work on,
are also a scientific approach to meaningful date labeling on foods.
In our lab, a microbial study might involve leaving a perishable food
out to spoil and measuring how much bacteria grows in it over time.
Scientists also do another kind of microbial study by watching how
long it takes microbes like listeria to grow to dangerous levels after
intentionally adding the microbes to food to watch what they do,
noting such details as growth in the amount of bacteria over time and
[when there’s enough to cause illness].

Consumers on their own

Determining the shelf life of food with scientific data on both its
nutrition and its safety could drastically decrease waste and save
money as food gets more expensive.

But in the absence of a uniform food dating system, consumers could
rely on their eyes and noses, deciding to discard the fuzzy bread,
green cheese or off-smelling bag of salad. People also might pay close
attention to the dates for more perishable foods, like cold cuts, in
which microbes grow easily. They can also find guidance at
FoodSafety.g

* Food Safety
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