食物“过期日” 不必太纠结

Lincoln: Now, when you go shopping, how much attention do you pay to the expiration dates on your purchases? Now, Michael, maybe you can enlighten us a little bit here. Michael: Well, that’s an interesting question, Lincoln. Now, it seems that in many cases, there’s actually no need to abide by expiry dates or things of that nature at all. So, almost all the products that you buy in shops and supermarkets are stamped with dates, but according to dieticians from the US medical research group the Mayo Clinic, the only items required by US federal law to have an expiration date are actually infant formulas and some baby foods. So, the Mayo Clinic goes on to say that most of the markings on foods are simply suggestions, rather than hard-and-fast rules. Lincoln: Wu You, how seriously do you take your expiration dates? WY: I have to be frank that I ate some very delicious chocolates. After I finished eating it, I noticed that the expiration date was last month, but I’m so glad that I ate it before I noticed the expiration date! Michael: Yeah, but did it taste…you said it was delicious. Lincoln: In fact, maybe you should eat all your chocolate a month after the expiration date from now on, if it was that delicious. Michael: Because chocolate can last for a very, very long time, presumably, then, a month later, it was still perfectly ok, and perfectly safe to eat, which is why you didn’t notice the difference. WY: So, would you double-check the date when you open your refrigerator and get food out? Would you look at the expiration date on each of the items? Michael: Probably. WY: What about you, Lincoln? Lincoln: No. Usually, things don’t last long enough in my house! I tend to consume most things before they get a chance to go off. The thing we haven’t spoken about, as well, with these best-before dates and things, is that actually, it might lead to a lot of food waste. It might lead to a lot of people throwing away food that is perfectly good. Michael: Yeah, and that’s the thing, like I was saying earlier, I don’t think you should take that as gospel. I think if it’s blue and furry, that’s probably quite a good indicator that perhaps you shouldn’t eat it. WY: I suddenly had a thought: if a supermarket can sell food based on its expiration date, if it’s near the expiration date, can it sell it at a cheaper price for someone who really needs it but has less money? Michael: That’s a really good point actually, Wu You, because when I was a student, I worked a part-time job in a department store in the UK, Marks & Spencer’s, and they have a food court, you know, like a little supermarket, and what they used to do, all the stuff that was going off that day, they would put that up in the staff shop on the top floor, and you could buy everything at a quarter of the retail price, because it was going off that day, so it was still perfectly alright, but they couldn’t sell it in the shop any more. So, I remember, I got some lobster, or some really elaborate and ostentatious seafood platter for about £6, and it should have cost me about £20. WY: That’s nice, especially for students who have less money, and also for the families who are really in need of this food. Lincoln: Yeah, I remember, I’ve seen in a shop in Beijing as well, I’ve seen a best-by date for honey, for example, and if you know a little bit about this, it’s almost impossible for honey to go bad. Michael: What I find, as well, is when you get things like honey, or jam, or things like that, and what I’ve often seen is there’ll be an expiration date, like “This is going to expire on the 18th May 2021”. Lincoln: Yeah, like with milk as well. It’s not like the cow knows, the cow doesn’t know when the milk is going to go off. All these are guesstimations and sums that are made, it’s not like the cow is tipping off the people who are milking it, that’s not how it works! But what I was going to say is this place was selling honey, and they were actually selling it at ridiculous discount prices because it was supposed to go off. The chances of that happening are really quite small. So, you know, if you want to have a bit of a bargain, a bit of a top tip from us, there. Michael: Is your cupboard now full of honey, Lincoln? Lincoln: If I can finish all the honey by the end of the month, that would be great!