Source: Zhang Shouxiao Popular Science
A friend who works in food packaging told me that expired food can be eaten! Starbucks has also been exposed to the use of expired raw materials, and this reporter has made major discoveries in undercover investigation in Starbucks stores.
Some store supervisors and clerks arbitrarily tamper with the expiration date on food labels, use expired ingredients to make drinks and sell them, and some pastries that should be scrapped on the same day according to regulations are secretly put on the shelves the next day.
In recent years, "expiring food" has been highly sought after because of its affordable price, and there are also elderly people who rush to get cheap.
I thought that as long as it was consumed within two or three days, there would be no major problems, and even if the expiration date was over, as long as the taste did not change much, there would be no problem.
There are also endless snack discount stores on the streets, and the shops are very popular every day. Then even if the food has passed the expiration date, it can be eaten normally.
Is this really the case? Can you eat something that has passed its expiration date?
1. What is the "shelf life"
In modern society, the topic of food safety and health has always attracted much attention. In the conventional concept, you can't eat what is expired.
When shopping, the shelf life label of food is an important reference information that consumers will pay attention to, and if it is past the expiration date, it will be thrown away if it is bought for a period of time.
The Shenzhen Health Commission recommends that foods with a short shelf life (generally about 30 days of shelf life) should not be eaten after expiration, such as yogurt and bread, which are very easy to mold and exceed the microbial standard.
And for foods with a shelf life of more than 6 months, that is, foods with a long shelf life expire for a few days, and there is no major problem when you eat them. Many people are very annoyed by this down-to-earth suggestion of our Health Commission.
What does the expiration date on the label mean?
But in fact, 90% of people don't know that there are knowledge misunderstandings.
Many people regard the expiration date as the safe period of food, and think that as long as the expiration date has passed, the food cannot be eaten.
The food within the "shelf life" is only the manufacturer's promise of the best taste and safety for consumers.
Missed the best past this time, the taste is slightly worse, but the food itself is not spoiled.
However, it is still necessary to combine the actual Oh, some foods have expired, as long as the packaging is still intact, and there is no abnormality in the smell, taste and shape after opening, it is generally edible.
In terms of taste and safety, food within the shelf life is of course the best and safest.
However, under the premise that the food storage conditions are up to standard, the packaging is intact, and the color and flavor have not changed, expired food can also be eaten.
2. A trivia: expired food can also be eaten
After all, the expiration date is related to the quality and safety of food, and there are many friends who like to buy a lot of food when buying food, but often can't finish it. I also ask people around me
Can I still eat food that has expired for a day or two?
What is the shelf life of common foods in life? Is there any food that you can continue to eat even if it is stored for a long time, don't worry, this will take you to find out!
1. Dry goods and canned products
Canned food is a food that has been heated for a long time after being canned and sealed, like dry goods, which can inhibit the growth of microorganisms and completely kill the bacteria in the food in a dry environment.
After strict sterilization treatment, as long as it is not opened, it will not deteriorate. If the outer packaging of cans is not damaged and stored properly, it can be stored for a long time.
The "expiration" of canned food is mainly due to the need for the market to speed up their turnover, and there is no safety aspect.
2. Chocolate, hard cheese
For bacteria, fungi, and molds to grow, a certain amount of moisture is required. Foods with low water content such as biscuits and cereals.
Such foods can be stored for a long time, and when the moisture is low to a certain level, they cannot grow.
After the expiration of chocolate and hard cheeses, there may be mold spots or white frosting on the surface. However, this does not affect the food safety, only the taste and appearance have changed.
Foods such as biscuits and cereals can become hard or soft during storage, affecting the taste.
3. Hot-filled beverages such as fruit juice
Some juices and tea drinks are sterilized at high temperature and filled while hot, and then immediately capped, and the bacteria in them are fully killed.
The longest shelf life is for functional drinks, which can reach about 18 months. As long as such food and beverages are not opened, they will not spoil at room temperature.
4. Some frozen foods such as yogurt
Yogurt is a special food that contains a lot of live bacteria in itself. In order to inhibit the activity of these bacteria, it needs to be refrigerated.
If frozen food is stored correctly in the freezer, it can far exceed the shelf life on the label, and it can be eaten with confidence.
In refrigeration, they still have a certain growth capacity, and long-term freezing may destroy a certain nutritional value.
This leads to a change in the appearance and flavor of the yogurt, that is, it is not good-looking and unpalatable. Try to taste best within the expiration date.
Although the market now has a relatively strong supervision of food safety, it is necessary to carefully check the integrity of the packaging before purchasing, and whether there is any damage or expansion.
After purchase, make sure that there is no abnormal change in the color, aroma, taste, and texture of the food before eating.
3. How to correctly judge the safety of expired food?
Although some foods can still be eaten after the expiration date, they still have to be combined with the actual ha. For liquid food, observe the change in color and the presence or absence of sediment.
Try it in small sips before eating it to make sure there is nothing abnormal before eating.
Sensory recognition is to use one's own eyes, nose, hands, mouth and other organs to make sensory judgments on food, and then compare it with fresh food and raw materials to see if there is a major change or pungent taste, so as to identify whether the food is expired.
Identify by looking at food labels. The food approved for sale in mainland China has a quality and safety mark, that is, the "QS" mark.
Distinguish whether the food is counterfeit and shoddy goods, and observe whether the food has the QS mark and whether it is clear.
For the sake of good health, it is more reassuring to eat food with a fresh date, but the expiration date, in order to reduce waste, adults with good physique eat well, and children have poor immunity, so they should still rest assured that they are still within the shelf life.
The term "not bad" means that there is no mold caused by microorganisms, and there is no guarantee that the nutritional value will not decrease with the increase in storage time.
Even within the expiration date, there are occasional cases of moisture absorption and spoilage due to broken packaging, so you must be careful before eating, because after spoilage, not only the nutrients are lost, but a series of chemical reactions will also occur.
For example, canned food may have insufficient sterilization and swelling of the tank, etc., if it is a regular channel when purchasing, and check it during the purchase process, whether the food that needs to be refrigerated is refrigerated throughout the process and whether it has deteriorated in advance.
Especially some elderly people, who have been used to saving for a generation, eat despite the expiration of food and the taste has changed. Expired ingredients can harbor a large number of bacteria due to spoilage.
After being eaten by the human body, it will cause acute gastroenteritis, Helicobacter pylori infection and other related diseases, causing great damage to the stomach and intestines, and can easily lead to bloating, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
In modern society, it is difficult to insist on "freshly made and eaten" food. However, the disease comes from the mouth, and it is still necessary to pay attention to food safety. Processed foods, in particular, go through a lot of processes and end up being transported to wet markets and supermarkets.
So, it is inevitable to preserve food.
Pay special attention to the purchase of raw meat, especially now that the flu is frequent, including some vegetables, which must be hot-processed and cooked before eating.
Returning to our question today, can expired food be eaten", the answer is: eating it does not necessarily cause problems, but the possibility of problems has increased. I can only grow my own eyes and learn to distinguish between right and wrong.
Sometimes, an expired food may simply look less appealing or taste less good...... This kind of food can still be eaten.
However, the problem is that it is entirely possible that there are a large number of pathogenic bacteria, and the likelihood of getting sick after eating it has increased.
With the gradual liberalization of the current epidemic, improving one's own immunity has become a hot topic, but the body's immunity is inseparable from healthy and high-quality food to provide sufficient nutritional value.
Therefore, for the health of yourself and your family, expired food is not recommended to eat, and fresh food tastes more delicious, so why not?
brief summary
The shelf life of a food product is the period during which it is safe to eat while maintaining the best quality.
Knowing and correctly judging the safety of expired food can not only help us reduce food waste and save money, but also ensure the food safety of our families.
However, although some foods can be eaten after the expiration date, it is recommended that everyone evaluate the safety of the food before purchasing.
It is also necessary to combine your own food intake and eating time to see if you can eat it in a short period of time.
After all, even if there is any problem with the food within the shelf life, the merchant must bear the corresponding responsibility for the food.
If it is once the expiration date has passed, it has no right to hold the merchant accountable, and it is your own business if something goes wrong.
However, we still need to be cautious when it comes to expired food, especially in the summer, or when it is inherently perishable. If you notice that the taste is not right, discard it immediately.
Finally, I would like to remind everyone to buy on demand and buy ingredients rationally. Don't care about stockpiling cheaply, but buy food within the family's means.
Through scientific methods of storing and handling food, after all, ensuring food safety and protecting one's own health is the first priority, in order not to waste, try to be cheap, eat your stomach badly, buy medicine or go to the doctor or expenditure, it is even more more than worth the loss.