Without expiry dates, there are people who don’t know how to tell if food is bad or safe. Of course, experts would advise you to err rather than jeopardize your safety. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), “confusion over the multitude of different date labeling terms on food products accounts for about 20% of food waste in the home.” Perhaps most grocery chains and homes would not have to discard tons of food if people understood labels better and knew the spoilage indicators to look out for.
Sometimes, expiry dates are not the sole indicators of food wholesomeness. Some of the dates on food labels are thresholds for optimum quality. They are seldom ever a sanction for deciding when to throw away food.
Wondering how to break even between the two extremes of food loss and food safety? This piece will teach you how to ascertain food safety without expiry date. So, come along to decipher how to use your sense organs to detect spoilage indicators.
The Expiry Date Myth
An in-depth understanding of food expiry dates will save you from second-guessing the safety of what you’re about to eat. For example, the ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates of food are usually reflective of the quality, not safety.
Food regulatory bodies in the US adopt initiatives that ensure that manufacturers only distribute safe food. For example, the FDA and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) occasionally issue a joint request for information to food manufacturers. The goal of the regulatory inquisition is to understand the criteria used in selecting terms to use for date labeling.
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Smell Test
Some food items release odoriferous compounds during deterioration. With such products, the food odor could serve as one of many spoilage indicators. For example, the characteristic spoiled food smell of products made from grains, meat and dairy is often unmistakable. Let us consider some specific food categories and how a simple smell test can reveal the onset of spoilage and unwholesomeness.
- Dairy products: A sour smell in food items like soft cheese, milk, yogurt, and butter indicates that lactose is being converted to lactic acid by spoilage microorganisms. Butter, which has a high fat content, may also elicit a rancid odor.
- Meat products: It is possible to identify spoilage in meat, fresh or processed, by its characteristic putrid odor. This rotten or spoiled food smell is indicative of the breakdown of meat protein into sulphur, ammonia and other volatile compounds. A sour smell could also be a sign of the early stages of meat deterioration.
- Grains: The common culprits in the spoilage of grains are molds and yeasts. Even long before the growth of these microorganisms is visible, they announce their presence with a ‘fermented’ or musty smell.
Texture Changes
Imagine yourself walking into the store of an interstate gas station to buy chips, cookies and a bottle of water for the trip. If, after getting back on the road, you open the chips’ packaging and find the contents soft instead of crispy, it’s not likely that you’ll proceed to eat them, even if you’re starving. However, if the cookies are just a few days shy of their ‘best before’ date, but still crunchy and inviting, you’ll probably bet on those.
That scenario shows how to tell food is bad sometimes goes beyond expiry date myths.
A quick look at textural properties and how they help you know when to throw away food. For example, it is okay for fresh fish or meat to have some moisture on the surface. However, sliminess or stickiness is a red flag, an apparent sign of spoilage.
Agricultural produce, like fruits and vegetables that never have expiry dates, sometimes becomes mushy. This mushiness is often due to the breakdown of the item’s cellular structure. Mushy vegetables and fruits are one of the telltale signs that food has spoiled.
Dry food products often remain wholesome, as long as moisture is kept out. However, once moisture from a humid environment invades the dry food material, spoilage commences. A sign that dry food products like flour, spices or powdered items are going bad is clumping.
Color Changes or Visible Mold Growth
Color changes in food items can be an indicator of deterioration, but not always. For example, browning in meat or fruit cuts may be a food safety sign. However, it may require validation using other indicators. For example, raw chicken that is losing its pink color, accompanied by a slight off-odor is definitely going bad.
However, if a banana bunch develops brown spots during the ripening process, it does not necessarily mean it’s unsafe for consumption. Stores trash tons of bananas annually because customers sometimes mistake brown spots for spoilage. Some supermarkets place signs above the banana shelf to sensitize customers about the ripening process.
Still on how to tell if food is bad, mold growth is yet another sign. Mold is one of the telltale signs that food is becoming unwholesome. However, there are a few cases in which it may still be safe to salvage an untouched portion of the food item. According to a USDA guide on molds on food, it may be possible to salvage the following foods: hard salami, dry-cured hams, hard cheese, cheese fermented with mold, firm fruits and vegetables. The USDA recommends making a minimum cut of 1 inch below and around the mold growth. However, all other foods with high moisture content and growing mold should be discarded. Don’t bother salvaging that bread loaf once it goes moldy.
Taste as a Last Resort
Disclaimer: Never use taste as the first indicator of food spoilage. If you have any doubt about the safety of a food item, use all other quality indicators before tasting. Again, taste should not be your go-to for any ‘how to tell if food is bad’ experiment.
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Storage Knowledge
Did you know that refrigerated food can go bad if handled incorrectly? If the storage conditions of your food stockpile or pantry are poor, the items may end up spoiling even before their expiry date.
Here are a few tips for cutting down the spoilage of stored food to the barest minimum:
- Store dry foods in air-tight containers
- Keep your refrigerator out of the danger zone (between 40°F and 140°F)
- Avoid improper thawing methods as they accelerate food spoilage
- Cool hot foods and refrigerate within two hours
Your senses, not just a stamped date, are your best tools for food safety
