Monday, March 13, 2017

Use by...Sell by...Best by...

With all the different food expiration labels stores use, it can be hard to know exactly what each one means and when you should toss that old milk.

Does "Use by." mean after that date the foods no longer good?

Does "Best by" mean after that date the foods still good but not as good?

And who is "Sell by" even for: the stores or the shoppers?
In an article written by Sean Rossman of USA Today, discusses how two food industry groups, the Food Marketing Institute and the Grocery Manufacturers Association, are urging stores and foodmakers to limit food expiration labels to two terms: "Best if used by" and "use by." USA Today is a reputable source that's been around for over 30 years. I chose to use this site a source because I'm familiar with them. I've used a lot of their articles for my Current Event papers in McKay. Not to mention, I wanted to choose a site that not a whole bunch of people would choose as well.

I believe this source would be most helpful for someone who's decided to do their research project on perhaps the confusion someone consumers may face when buying food, who's to blame for that confusion, and/or various ways stores could help shoppers with that. I think that a lot of the time, large food industries and businesses benefit from consumers not really knowing about their food. For example; when majority of people are unsure about whether or not food is still any good, they’ll opt to throw it out than take the risk. The sooner food is being eaten or thrown out the sooner consumers will go out and spend more money to buy more. So those vague and confusing labels is putting more money into these corporation’s pocket’s. Rossman even notes in the article that  he said. Jack Jeffers, vice president of quality at Dean Foods the change “a win for consumers and the environment,” he said "It's much better that these products stay in the kitchen — and out of landfills."

What do you think? Are vague expiration dates just another way for big food businesses to manipulate consumers?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/nation-now/2017/02/17/grocers-want-you-stop-throwing-away-food-too-soon/98037974/

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