Datemarks and Shelf-life
 
By law, most packaged food must carry a datemark as a guideline to when it will be unfit to eat. Sell-by dates were phased out in 1990 because they were considered too confusing. They were replaced with:
  • Display until : Fresh foods which need to be eaten quickly (like fresh fruit and vegetables) do not have to feature a date mark although some shops use a 'display until' date.
  • Use by date : This appears on highly perishable foods with a short shelf life. These foods should not be consumed after their 'use by date' because they may be a health risk and could cause food poisoning. It is an offence to sell foods once their 'use by' date has expired.
  • Best before date : This appears on foods with a longer shelf life. Once a food passes its best before date it is past its best but still fit for consumption and will not pose a health risk.
 
Your Foods Real Shelf-life
 
FRESH PASTA : 2 years old.
ACCORDING to the food Commission, fresh egg pasta can have a shelf life of up to two years. In Italy, home-made fresh pasta is consumed on the day it is made. But mass produced fresh pasta is manufactured to last much longer. Often it is packed in modified atmosphere packaging that slows decay or is pasteurised to make it keep better.
Verdict :
Although it isn't harmful and the nutritional content won't have been greatly affected by its age, the flavour and texture of the pasta will undoubtedly have deteriorated after two years. Ideally, fresh pasta should be made and eaten within a couple of days. If not, you are better off with dried.
 
FRESH SLICED BREAD : 1 to 3 weeks old.
MOST sliced bread contains the anti-fungal agents calcium propionate and potassiun sorbate, as well as a range of preserving additives to extend shelf-life. The average loaf will last up to seven days, although some pre-wrapped speciality breads hang around in supermarkets for much longer. The emzyme-softening agents combined with the flour improvers in the bread allow it to stay soft and squidgy for up to three weeks.
Verdict :
It may look as if it has just been baked, but bread of over a week old is artificially fresh. The additives will stabilise its texture so that it tastes OK, but for a really fresh loaf, stick to organic.
 
FRESH MILK : 10 days old.
IN theory, milk is pasteurised and bottled very quickly so it should be on your doorstep or supermarket shelf within two to three days. However, its shelf-life is anything up to 10 days and the Food Commission researchers found that on average supermarket milk was six days old and some organic milk was seven days old
Verdict :
Vitamin levels, especially vitamin B, are greatly reduced the older the milk. After a week, levels of Vitamin B1 will have plummeted to negligible amounts. So try to drink milk within three days of purchasing it.
 
ORANGE JUICE : 2 years old.
CHOOSING the freshest orange juice is something of a minefield. Juices labelled "freshly squeezed" are the freshest as they have been squeezed and packed within 24 hours. But they can still be up to seven days days old by the time you buy them. On the other hand, "freshly squeezed, lightly pasteurised" juice has been heat-treated and has up to a three month shelf-life. Opt for the orange juice made from "concentrate" and you are looking at a drink that is up to two years old.
Verdict :
Vitamin C levels of freshly squeezed juices deteriorate with age, especially once they have been on the shelf for a week, so it's best to drink them as soon after purchase as possible. Better still, squeeze your own and drink it on the same day. The pasteurised and heat-treated juices and concentrates often have vitamins and preservatives added but even these will drop after two years.
 
APPLES : 1 year old.
ORGANIC apples can reach your shelves 24 hours after they were picked. But that's not the case with other fruit. Mass-produced apples are routinely treated with chemical preservatives to delay spoilage and are then kept in computer-controlled chambers with modified air for several months. Even if they haven't been treated with post-harvest chemicals, many apples are routinely waxed to prevent wrinkling and make them look shiny and red. The upshot is that, as fresh as it looks, that healthy-looking apple you are munching could easily be a year old.
Verdict :
Organic fruit is expensive but a better buy if you really want it to be fresh. Otherwise, check that apples have their central stalks intact – missing stalks are a sign that the fruit is starting to rot inside. Avoid bruised fruit as it has been affected by bacteria and always rinse apples in cold water to get rid of any chemical residue before eating them.
 
BISCUITS : 6 months old.
THE typical shelf-life of a packet buscuits is six months – the Food Commission unearthed packets of digestives that were that old. However, the real age of the product is likely to be much greater. A biscuit could be made from fat that is six months old, sugar that is a year old and flour that could have come from EU grain that's stored for a year or more.
Verdict :
High quality biscuits have a list of ingredients similar to those you would find in a recipe book at home – eggs, flour, sugar, natural vanilla and so on. But these days, most packets have added preservatives and flavourings to prolong shelf-life to six months. The flavour of your biscuits probably won't be affected even two months after this, although at older than eight months they will begin to go stale.
 
FROZEN TURKEY : up to 5 years old.
THE average frozen turkey will have been stored in a deep freeze for about two years by the time you buy it. But some may have been lurking around perfectly legally for five years. There is no "best before" limit for frozen turkeys.
Verdict :
Surprisingly, studies have shown that the flavour and quality is unlikely to deteriorate much over the five years. But eating something that old is enough to put most people off.
 
FRESH EGGS : up to 6 weeks old.
MOST eggs are sold with a "best before" date but not a "laying" date. In theory, the best before date should be 21 days after the packing date which is the same day or the day after the eggs were laid. But in practice, the eggs can be packed anything up to 10 days after they were laid and can sit around for a further three days before they are picked up by manufacturers. It is perfectly possible for your "fresh" eggs to be six weeks old before you buy them.
Verdict :
Eggs will keep for up to three weeks after which they begin to go stale and vitamin levels decline. Always check the freshness of your eggs before eating them. Crack open a fresh egg and the yolk should be round and whole. the white thick and jelly-like. Old eggs will also float in a bowl of water whereas fresher eggs will rest on the bottom. Kissing the more bulbous end of an egg will tell you whether it is fresh or not. Holding that end to your lips and detecting a warming to the lips indicate the egg is fresh. The warmer it feels, the fresher the egg. A bad egg will not warm and should be discarded.
 
BOTTLED WATER : 18 months old.
IT'S one of the so-called healthiest product around but a bottle of water could be older than you think. Although many bottles are labelled as fresh, the truth is that they typically have a six to 12 month shelf-life. Some flavoured waters are even more ancient. The Food Commission discovered spring water that was 18 months old. Also check manufacturer's claims re bottled Spring Water.
Verdict :
Snobbery aside, unless you genuinely prefer the taste of bottled water, you will be better off, and almost as healthy, sticking to that from the tap which is much fresher. Once opened, bacteria accumulates quickly in plastic bottles, so drink the entire bottle within a day or two.
 
BABY FOOD : 3 years old.
SOME dehydrated baby food mixes are considered fit for consumption two years after they were made. And tins can remain on sale for up to a year longer with many having shelf-lives of three years. Baby food in jars can be up to three years old. This means a baby born in 2001 could be eating food that was packaged in 1998.
Verdict :
In spite of their age, dried baby foods are generally prepared under carefully controlled conditions to ensure safety. But never use food that looks watery or smells odd. The Food Commission advises you to blend your own food and feed it to your baby the same day.
 

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