Expiration dates on food products except infant formula are not regulated by the FDA and are not always based on food safety science, which causes confusion and contributes to waste, writes microbiologist and public health researcher Jill Roberts, who has used molecular epidemiology to study bacteria in food. A food dating system based on scientific data could dramatically decrease waste and save money; meanwhile, people should rely on their eyes and noses to judge freshness and pay close attention to expiration dates for more perishable foods in which microbes grow easily, Roberts writes.
Full Story: The Conversation (7/21)