You Might Be Throwing Away Your Food Too Early

Ever cleaned out your fridge and tossed something the second you spotted a past date on the package? Apparently, you might be throwing away perfectly good food.

According to food safety specialists, most labels that say, “Best By” . . . “Best Before” . . . and “Enjoy By”, are meant to tell you when a product will be at its best quality . . . not when it suddenly becomes unsafe to eat.

Researchers found more than 50 different date labels are used across the U.S., which helps explain why it’s so confusing. Experts say foods like canned goods, crackers, cookies, and cereal can often last well beyond the printed date if they’re stored properly.

It’s gotten so bad that California just became the first state to standardize food labels, requiring “Best If Used By” for quality and “Use By” for safety.

(AP News)