Use by Dates... Do you follow?

It seems that the Uk government want to get rid of the use by dates on food

Seems like a good idea, when you look of how much fruit and veg is wasted because the use by date is up, but the goods themselves are edible

Do you follow by these dates

Do you eat food out of date?

What are your views...

i would be wary about chicken etc but most things i would use after sell by date.think they were only invented so we would spend more money on food.xx

I agree with Thistle - the sell by dates cause a massive waste of food and obscene amounts are dumped because of them!!! We were sent out to the 'Garden Larder' to collect the food for the next meal and we used our eyes and our nose.....not many cases of upset tums in those days.....BRING BACK COMMON SENSE - or is it too late for that.....

when I was struggling to bring up two young children on a waiters wage my kids both looked at anything that was still 'in date' with deep suspicion - and now they do the same as me look, sniff and taste a little!!!

I agree with the ladies.....
sniff it..thats always the best give away :)

With meats i would always be more cautious....I just heard on GMTV that the darker the meat is ..the more tender it will be....but usually when it looks dark ppl would assume it to be off....

years ago there was no such things as sell or use by dates...and it didn't do our grandparents any harm did it ?!?!

Can you imagine people over here in the occupation passing up food because it looked a bit 'iffy' I Think Not!!!!

I must say as a vegetarian I give 'sniffing dead animals' a wide berth - but I can always find someone who will do this for me...LOL :-)

As has been said already, I think common sense is the order of the day. If it stinks and is crawling then obviously it is off. A bit of mould on a piece of cheese doesn't mean you can't east the rest, but a mouldy glass of milk or lump of meat would be a different matter. People managed OK before best before and can manage again.

Question:


I know you eat mold on blue cheese. How safe is it to eat grated cheddar
with mold? -


Answers:




Molds are used to make certain kinds of cheeses
and can be on the surface of cheese or be developed internally. Blue
veined cheese such as Roquefort, blue, Gorgonzola, and Stilton are
created by the introduction of P. roqueforti or
Penicillium roqueforti spores. Cheeses such as Brie and
Camembert have white surface molds. Other cheeses have both an
internal and a surface mold. The molds used to manufacture these
cheeses are safe to eat.

Hard cheese (not cheese where mold is
part of the processing) - If the mold is not too much, just cut it
off. Cut off at least 1 inch around and below the mold spot (keep
the knife out of the mold itself so it will not cross-contaminate
other parts of the cheese). After trimming off the mold, re-cover
the cheese in fresh wrap. Mold generally cannot penetrate deep into
the product.Cheese made with mold
(such as Roquefort, blue, Gorgonzola, Stilton,
Brie, Camembert) - Discard soft cheeses such as Brie and Camembert
if they contain molds that are not a part of the manufacturing
process. If surface mold is on hard cheeses such as Gorgonzola and
Stilton, cut off mold at least 1 inch around and below the mold spot
and handle like hard cheese (above). Molds that are not a part of
the manufacturing process can be dangerous.Soft cheese
(such as cottage, cream cheese, Neufchatel, chevre, Bel Paese, etc.)
- Discard. Foods with high moisture content can be contaminated
below the surface. Shredded, sliced, or crumbled cheese can be
contaminated by the cutting instrument. Moldy soft cheese can also
have bacteria growing along with the mold.Yogurt and sour cream -
Discard.Foods with high moisture
content can be contaminated below the surface. Moldy foods may also
have bacteria growing along with the mold.

IMPORTANT -


People with mold
allergy often are advised by their doctors to avoid eating
mold-ripened cheese and restrict themselves to processed cheeses.

Hanging the meat


This is one of the most important stages in producing great tasting
meat.
When you try any of Stockton & Stratton’s range of beef and pork, we’re
absolutely sure you’ll be impressed and amazed by its taste and texture. It has
a depth of flavour that most meat simply doesn’t have. And it is tender beyond
belief, without any of the chewiness that ordinary meat has.

Why is it so good? - it’s because we hang the meat properly before
we butcher it. This means hanging it for a long time – at least 21 days for
beef, 10 days for pork and 10 days for lamb. During hanging, the meat
changes – the fibres relax and flavours develop, producing the top-quality
result you enjoy.


And why don’t most people do this? – because it costs more and it’s more
difficult to manage. The carcasses lose weight while they’re hanging, so
we end up with less to sell – up to 20% less. It takes more space and careful
management to make sure the right carcass is butchered at the right time. It’s
a lot easier to butcher the meat after only a short time, so that’s what most producers
and butchers do.


This is why most meat looks bright red. Don’t think for a moment that
this is a sign of good quality – it just means that it hasn’t been hung
properly, and shortcuts have been taken. Our meat has the characteristic dull
red-brown colour that really good meat has – colour that only develops with
time.

Common sense should always be used.However it can't be taught in school but can be learnt at "Mothers Knee".Smell it first then give it a good look.If it passes those tests it should be OK.Some things may lose a little of their potency or colour over time but should still be OK I used some baking powder(for a cobbler)tonight.It was best before June 08! but performed exactly like it should!

Why is it so good? - it’s because we hang the meat properly before
we butcher it. This means hanging it for a long time – at least 21 days for
beef, 10 days for pork and 10 days for lamb. During hanging, the meat changes – the fibres relax and flavours develop, producing the top-quality result you enjoy.


Hmmmmmmmmmmm would it improve the taste and texture of my lettuce???? d'ya think.........:-)

Only if you like soggy limp lettuce Karma........






.

Yum why should you carnivores have all the fun and best food :-)

Because we follow Common Sense diets

Ahhhh.... that is in short supply these days it appears Bug!!!!

Bring back Common Sense..... encourage people to think for themselves and not be sheep....... :loser1:





.

The Government together with 'elf and safety took that away from us (common sense that is) and the first time somebody has a gippy tummy after eating something they'll now sue the ass of of the supplier for not telling them it could have gone off!!!! even if it has been lurking in the dark recesses of the fridge for best part of six months......

sorry - don't mind me folks - I've just popped a couple of my anti 'S' pills - I'll be OK in a moment.....

I agee that these 'sell-by-dates' are un-necessary, but it will be a great loss to zoos who save a lot on their food bills by going round the supermarkets and buying up all the post dated stuff on the cheap.

More than two million tons of unused fresh fruit, vegetables and
bread are thrown away by cooks every year, according to Government
figures.
A study into the waste culture found that a third of food bought
in supermarkets ends up in the bin, even though half of it is
perfectly edible.
Despite that, and an average cost to every home in the UK of
between £250 and £400 a year, nine out of ten adults
insist they throw out 'hardly any' food at all.
The findings are published today in a campaign to tackle the
problem by Wrap, Whitehall's waste reduction agency.
Wrap says cooks have lost the art of using leftovers and
managing the food in their fridges, fruit bowls and vegetable
racks.
Simple measures - such as freezing unused food, checking use-by
dates and sensible portions - could dramatically cut waste.
The Love Food, Hate Waste campaign is being backed by the
Women's Institute which is producing tips on how to create leftover
dishes such as bubble and squeak, shepherd's pie and bread and
butter pudding.
Wrap claims that discarded food is a more serious environmental
problem than excess food packaging and accounts for around a fifth
of all rubbish in dustbins.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-490956/Two-million-tons-good-food-thrown-away-UK-families-year.html

The government created this - just one qustion is WHY?

I remember rationing after WW2 and cannot believe some of the wastage stories I read......

Guilty to some extent!!!
I never quite know if I am shopping "just for myself' or I am required to "cook for the tribe"...and when it comes to "fresh food" ie veggies and fruit...I find myself in need..."to feed the avian population" or the compost bin! I live and hope to find a "good balance"...but I hate not being able to feed the tribe at short notice...

Sorry,Animoso but "Ye shall reap what ye sow" make the "tribe" "bring their own" then you'll only have to cook it!

Bug, my friend...feed people is what I do best...in fact it is possibly the only thing that I am any good at!...
...and they do come with "offerings"...and since the Mags are all on a celiac's diet...I get presented with all sort of weird and wonderful products to experiment with!

PS
should you ever find out how to use Mung beans...I would be most interested to hear...

Your starter for one:

http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=mung+bean

Thanks...went down that list before...
have you EVER tried to get the skin off of the mung beans?????
That is an exercise for masochists!!!....
than I thought...wellllllll. I'll "sprout them than....and use them in salad....than I investigated the "sprouting" business....well...I got warned about all sort of dire things happening if I did not know the exact "provenance"...Heck!!!I did not even know what shop they came from!!!! so I found a good use for them...I use them for "blind backing!!! LOL