I reckon there are literally billions on this planet who manage with no best before dates on food. I've never seen it on fresh fruit and veg in India ( population 1.2bn)
'Best before dates' appeared in the 1970's so for hundreds of generations people used their eyes, hands and noses to determine whether food was fit to eat or not. My Granny lived to 86, having been born in 1879, so it didn't seem to affect life expectancy much. People are coddled far too much, partly due to stupid EU rules about size and shape of fruit, veg and other consumables.
'Best before dates' appeared in the 1970's so for hundreds of generations people used their eyes, hands and noses to determine whether food was fit to eat or not. My Granny lived to 86, having been born in 1879, so it didn't seem to affect life expectancy much. People are coddled far too much, partly due to stupid EU rules about size and shape of fruit, veg and other consumables.
Give me specific, checkable examples, of these EU rules?
I’m of the view that for fruit and vegetables, a best before date is a good idea, although not a use by date. Not happy about not having any date at all on packaged produce. I'm quite capable of judging when an item is still ok to eat, and certainly don’t throw out fruit and veg purely based on a date. What I would object to is being sold produce that has very little shelf life left. If supermarkets reduce the price of items nearly at the end of their shelf life, customers will benefit and there will be less wastage. If what still isn’t sold is then passed on to charities, the community will benefit and there will be less wastage. If supermarkets use a no expiry date policy, there is plenty of opportunity for the less scrupulous ones to leave produce on the shelves while continuing to charge premium prices, leaving the customer to shoulder the cost and the annoyance of unexpected wastage. Another difference from the ‘old days’ is that so much of todays produce has been stored in artificial climates to delay ripening and extend shelf life. One thing to pick an apple from a tree, another when that apple has been picked months ago and half a world away.
I just went out to empty the dog before bed and one of the cooking apples that I left on my front wall for people to take was in the road. I picked it up and it was heavily bruised but unmarked. I assumed kids had chucked it about until I noticed a sheepish character loitering under the streetlight at the end of our road. Nothing is quite as sheepish as a sheep that's been caught scrumping. 🐑
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
The BOO (POO!!) cushion, wonder if it makes a noise, like those "farty" ones from my childhood. I wtched a programme last week, think it was the consumer programme with Anglica Bell trip round the Arla factory, where they have removed "best before" dates from milk, (which incidentally goes through a staggering FOUR processes) asked "how do you then know the milk is safe to drink?". Lady replied, "smell it, check for separating", doh, thats what us clever folk have always done.I made myself a Shepherdess pie yesterday, with floppy carrotts, ansd celery, I used to be amazed by the use by date on spuds, when I picked them up to use and found it was 6 weeks previous. I tried one more time to get a GP appoinment online as requested, Patient plus said one more try, I was going to be locked out of my account, which is funny being as it has practically being telling me I don't have one. NHS site, said I had to either "get a letter from myGP2, and "take phot ID into the surgery". Now have a repeat script (that has to go in the surgery in writingg, so will be visiting this morning wish me luck. All these messages are on my phone, from these 2 sites, so there can be no doubt.
I’m of the view that for fruit and vegetables, a best before date is a good idea, although not a use by date.
Best before date on potatoes for example? Stored properly they will last for months. It's pretty obvious just from looking at them if fruit and veg are still edible.
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I'm quite capable of judging when an item is still ok to eat, and certainly don’t throw out fruit and veg purely based on a date.
What I would object to is being sold produce that has very little shelf life left. If supermarkets reduce the price of items nearly at the end of their shelf life, customers will benefit and there will be less wastage. If what still isn’t sold is then passed on to charities, the community will benefit and there will be less wastage.
If supermarkets use a no expiry date policy, there is plenty of opportunity for the less scrupulous ones to leave produce on the shelves while continuing to charge premium prices, leaving the customer to shoulder the cost and the annoyance of unexpected wastage.
Another difference from the ‘old days’ is that so much of todays produce has been stored in artificial climates to delay ripening and extend shelf life. One thing to pick an apple from a tree, another when that apple has been picked months ago and half a world away.