Entry # 7: Hot Takes on Expiration Labels

This entry is a bit later than my usual posting times, but after watching Fresh a while back, i've suddenly got a strange feeling for making even more food related posts for my blog. So... I think i'll do just that!

This article in particular that I found talks about expiration dates on food and what should actually be done with it past its' "expiration date". I like how the post starts; the writer starts comparing their mother and father in how they both deal with expiration dates on food, and then leads that into a hook to explain how many people throw away food after its' marked date on the packaging, and explains their evidence to back it up. I think it's interesting to know about food labels and how people go with or against them, and how it ties into the food world. It's especially interesting to consider with how many people think about the freshness of their food and where it comes from, with so many eyes being focused on how things get processed and produced. If you get naturally produced eggs, or some form of steak or hamburger or beef, will you still keep it after that expiration date to cook it? Or will you keep it around until you're absolutely sure about if it's rotted or not?

I feel this is also relevant to the overall topic of food, as making sure your food is put to use and not utterly wasted is as important as making sure what you're eating is fresh. Using every single ingredient you have is about as important as eating healthy, at least i'd think so. If local farmers are making locally-made produce, eggs, and meat, it'd be a shame & overall waste of resources to throw it away after it supposedly turns bad. People should be getting the most out of their food regardless of a false "expiration date", instead of throwing it away once the day marked on the package comes by. In addition, you'll get the most bang for your buck by buying stuff you know you'll want to eat, so it's a good idea in general to get stuff you know you'll want to eat for the times ahead of you.

If you're to take anything away from this post, it's that you shouldn't trust the expiration date on your food's packaging, and instead take cues from the food itself. Mold, staleness, bad taste/smell, rotting, all of these can easily be identified by you, the consumer, if you properly inspect your food before eating or cooking it. Expiration dates are most likely set for when places like stores have to sell the respective foods before they get taken off the shelves, so don't worry about things like the bread or milk you have spoiling the instant after the expiration date passes. Just be sure to check and make sure the food's not spoiling in any way, and it will still be fine to eat.

Well... it's about time for dinner. I suppose after looking into this article, I should go use that leftover bread from last week, provided it hasn't gone stale on me already. Lucas, signing off. Enjoy your dinner!