{"id":6407,"date":"2024-11-03T14:08:17","date_gmt":"2024-11-03T14:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/?p=6407"},"modified":"2024-11-03T14:08:17","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T14:08:17","slug":"heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-food-expiration-dates-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/?p=6407","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s What You Need to Know About Food Expiration Dates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"468\" height=\"695\" src=\"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/IMG_7252.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6408\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/IMG_7252.jpeg 468w, https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/IMG_7252-202x300.jpeg 202w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 468px) 100vw, 468px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Ever stared at a milk carton or package of chicken, wondering if it\u2019s safe to eat past the expiration date? You\u2019re not alone. Food dates\u2014\u201cBest if Used By,\u201d \u201cUse By,\u201d and \u201cSell By\u201d\u2014often confuse consumers, leading to unnecessary waste. I once hesitated to serve milk just days past its \u201cBest if Used By\u201d date, despite it smelling fine. This experience drove me to research food labels, revealing key insights about quality, safety, and reducing waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Understanding these labels can help cut down on food waste, which makes up about 30% of food in the U.S., partly due to misinterpretations. Here\u2019s what each label really means:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 <strong>Best if Used By:<\/strong> Indicates the period for optimal flavor and quality. It\u2019s not a safety date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 <strong>Use By:<\/strong> The last date for peak quality, especially for perishables like dairy. Properly stored, it\u2019s often still safe after this date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 <strong>Sell By:<\/strong> A guide for retailers. Food is usually fine past this date if stored properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Foods like eggs, milk, and canned goods can often outlast their dates if they look, smell, and taste normal. Proper storage, like keeping your fridge below 40\u00b0F, and freezer at 0\u00b0F, helps extend their life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In summary, expiration dates guide quality, not safety. Instead of relying strictly on these dates, trust your senses to identify spoilage, like unpleasant odors or unusual textures. Making informed choices helps reduce waste, saving both money and the environment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ever stared at a milk carton or package of chicken, wondering if it\u2019s safe to eat past the expiration date? You\u2019re not alone. Food dates\u2014\u201cBest if Used&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6407"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6409,"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6407\/revisions\/6409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}