WOW - 7 MILLION slices of bread, 4.4 MILLION apples and 1.3 MILLION yogurts are thrown away... EVERY DAY!

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my kids wont eat anything if its got that days date on it ..
i tend to go by my own sence of smell never let me down ,,, yet .

There are some things which you have to be careful about eating. Chicken, Pork and Fish just being three as Peggy has said. However, you can tell by the smell in most cases. If the fish has a strong fishy smell it is going off, or at least it isn't fresh. The look of the fish also gives a good indication of its freshness. Pork also goes off fast in warm/hot weather if it isn't refrigerated. One reason many Middle Eastern peoples won't eat pork. The Jewish people and the Islamists are just two. However, Beef is held in a cool store for several weeks for it to "hang" or mature. It won't get maggots or become inedible it just goes a dark red mahogany colour. Bright red beef is usually tough and often tasteless. Ask your Butcher if you don't believe me.

Dairy Products sometimes improve with age. Cheese for example, provided it doesn't start growing mould trees. Blue Cheese needs time to reach its form. Butter doesn't keep too well out of the fridge nor does milk. Yoghurt was originally made to extend the keeping qualities of milk, now they make bio-yoghurts which are a bit different from the original. The acidity in yoghurt enhances the keeping qualities of the product.

Tinned foods will keep fresh and edible for years. Only when the laquer lining inside the tin is broken does the food deteriorate.

Meddling with food and refining it thus needing chemical preservatives have made it difficult to decide when a food is no longer good with the exception of Beef and Lamb. I tend to use my common sense when both shopping and deciding when not to eat what we have in the house.

A great summation Esca.

The finest beef I have had look more like mahogany than mahogany - it was amazing!

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I apologise in advance if I am repeating what someone else has posted...there was something on the JV prog about this the essence of which was that sell by dates are for the supermarket to protect themselves and best before is advisory to the customer.

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Bunny

anyone has the right to be stupid...some just abuse the privilege

Many moons ago I went for a job interview with a company that sold instumentation to the food industry that would predict the shelf life of food stuffs. It was interesting stuff- actually it was fascinating for me at the time.

The don't understand the meaning of the terms used in the title.

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These are the Food Agency definitions of "Sell by" and "Best Before" dates:

Sell by

Date marks such as 'sell by' or 'display until' often appear near or next to the 'best before' or 'use by' date. They are used by some shops to help with stock control and are instructions for shop staff, not shoppers.

The important dates for you to look for are the 'use by' and 'best before' dates.

Best before

'Best before' dates appear on a wide range of frozen, dried, tinned and other foods.

The 'best before' dates are more about quality than safety, except for eggs. So when the date runs out it doesn't mean that the food will be harmful, but it might begin to lose its flavour and texture.

About a third of the food we buy ends up being thrown away and most of this could have been eaten. So think carefully before throwing away food that is past its 'best before' date.

However, you shouldn't eat eggs after the 'best before' date. This is because eggs can contain salmonella bacteria, which could start to multiply after this date.

And remember, the 'best before' date will only be accurate if the food is stored according to the instructions on the label, such as 'store in a cool dry place' or 'keep in the fridge once opened'.

So, if you want to enjoy the food at its best, use it by its 'best before' date and make sure you follow any instructions.

A note about eggs - if you can get them fresh (from a small farm or local butcher who has daily deliveries) they will last for a few weeks (especially if kept in the fridge). Then if you aren't sure you can do the water test.

This doesn't apply to supermarket eggs as they use up this long time in warehouses, etc.

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Fresh eggs? We have them when they're still warm!

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With fresh eggs straight from the farm and untreated they will keep nicely in the fridge for a couple of weeks or more. They are best kept at room temperature if you get through them in a week or ten days time. They boil better without the shells cracking (Thermal Shock) and tend to blend better with butter and flour which are normally used at room temperature anyway. If you want to keep them for a long period, say a couple of months or more, then the shells can be sealed with Sodium Silicate. This is sold as "Egg Preserver" or "Water Glass" and was used extensively during the war when eggs were rationed. The idea is to keep air and bacteria out of the egg by sealing the pores in the shell with this Silicate Solution. I believe Supermarket Warehouses store sealed eggs but I could be wrong. The method is easy - the eggs are submerged for a few minutes in the Sodium Silicate Solution and are then allowed to stand in a tray until the shell is dry. One layer only or they can stick together. The Water Test can still be done if you aren't too sure about how long your eggs have lasted. They should keep for at least nine months.

When you have sealed your eggs the solution can be used by the kids to make a chemical garden with various metal salts such as Copper Sulphate or Ferrous Sulphate. Keeps them amused for hours - or at least it used to.