{"id":708,"date":"2015-02-23T11:46:54","date_gmt":"2015-02-23T18:46:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/uwyoextension.org\/uwnutrition\/?p=708"},"modified":"2024-01-17T09:45:56","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T16:45:56","slug":"keep-it-or-pitch-it","status":"publish","type":"newsletters","link":"https:\/\/uwyoextension.org\/uwnutrition\/newsletters\/keep-it-or-pitch-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Keep It or Pitch It?"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

People who are cleaning out someone\u2019s home sometimes wonder if food should be kept or pitched.\u00a0 The adage \u201cwhen in doubt, throw it out<\/strong>\u201d applies, but it is a shame to actually throw out food that is still edible but past the \u2018best if used by\u2019 date.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Wasting Food?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

According to A. K. Magoulas and CiCi Williamson, USDA\u2019s Food Safety and Inspection Service, August 07, 2014 release:<\/span> \u201cSTOP!\u00a0 Don\u2019t throw that food away!\u00a0 It might be safe to use, and that will save you money.\u00a0<\/span>According to USDA\u2019s Economic Research Service, each American wastes more than twenty pounds of food every month.\u00a0 That\u2019s about $115 billion worth of good food thrown away every year at the consumer level in the U.S. Top food groups wasted by value are meat, poultry, and fish.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cWhile the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline would never advise you to eat unsafe food, we don\u2019t want you to throw away safe food and lose money.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Canned Foods<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

“Dates on can indicate peak quality as determined by the manufacturer.\u00a0 So don\u2019t automatically pitch a can with an expired date.\u00a0 You can safely keep commercially canned foods longer than the dates.\u00a0 Low-acid foods (such as canned meat, poultry, fish, stew, soups, green vegetables, beans, carrots, corn, peas, potatoes, etc.) can be stored for two to five years; high-acid foods (e.g., canned juices, fruit, pickles, sauerkraut, tomatoes, tomato soup), for 12 \u2013 18 months.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

No Exception<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cOne date always to observe:\u00a0 infant formula.\u00a0 Unlike other foods, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that infant formula be dated.\u00a0 Do not feed a baby formula after the use-by date expires due to concern about adequate food value.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Home Canned Foods<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cHome canned foods don\u2019t last quite as long.\u00a0 USDA recommends using these foods within one year of canning.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Dried Foods<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

“Out-of-date commercially processed dried foods, such as jerky, are safe at room temperature due to their low moisture content and proper heat processing.\u00a0 Other dry foods (for example, bouillon cubes, gravy mixes, pasta, rice, and flour) are safe for a very long time.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Frozen Foods<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

“If it\u2019s frozen, it\u2019s safe to use.\u00a0 Dates on frozen food are not for safety.\u00a0 All frozen foods are safe forever because bacteria and other pathogens cannot grow in food that\u2019s frozen at 0 degrees F (-17.8 degrees C) or below.\u00a0 However, foods do lose some quality: flavor, color, and texture.\u00a0 Frozen foods tend to dry out over time, which can result in \u2018freezer burn,\u2019 especially in areas where air is trapped within the package.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Refrigerated Foods<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

“Meats, poultry, fish, dairy, and cooked leftovers should be safe, wholesome, and of good quality if handled properly and kept at 40 degrees F (4.4 degrees C) or below and used within USDA recommended times.\u00a0 Cook or freeze fresh steaks or chops within three to five days, and poultry, ground meats, and fish in one to two days.\u00a0 All cooked leftovers should be used or frozen after four days.\u00a0 Use fresh eggs within three to five weeks; milk within one week.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Christeena Haynes Take Aways<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

According to an article on the MissouriFamilies.org site, here are some excerpts from an article written by Christeena Haynes, MS, RD, LD, former Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, University of Missouri Extension:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    \r\n
  • \u201cStore canned goods in a cool, dark, dry area away from furnaces, pipes, and other places where temperature changes occur.\u00a0 Store metal cans off of the floor because moisture may lead to rust.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\r\n
  • \u201cDuring storage, the minerals in canned foods should remain the same.\u00a0 Most of the vitamins should have close to the same level as fresh.\u00a0 Vitamins A and C, however, will decrease quickly during the canning process, but once the product is canned, the loss slows to 4 to 20% each year.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\r\n
  • \u201cWhen buying canned foods, choose low sodium or no-salt-added products and choose fruits packed in their own juice or water instead of syrup.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    If you wonder if something is safe to consume or if it should be tossed, you now have the guidelines.\u00a0 If you need permission to toss something, please consider this column your permission to dispose of the food in question.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

    Written by Vicki Hayman, MS, University of Wyoming Extension Nutrition and Food Safety Educator<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    People who are cleaning out someone\u2019s home sometimes wonder if a food should be kept or pitched. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5959,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[783,957],"tags":[213,214,113,212,215,216],"class_list":["post-708","newsletters","type-newsletters","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-safety-3","category-newsletter","tag-canned-foods","tag-dried-foods","tag-food-safety-2","tag-food-storage","tag-frozen-foods","tag-refrigerated-foods"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwyoextension.org\/uwnutrition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletters\/708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwyoextension.org\/uwnutrition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwyoextension.org\/uwnutrition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/newsletters"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/uwyoextension.org\/uwnutrition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletters\/708\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16639,"href":"https:\/\/uwyoextension.org\/uwnutrition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletters\/708\/revisions\/16639"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwyoextension.org\/uwnutrition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwyoextension.org\/uwnutrition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwyoextension.org\/uwnutrition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwyoextension.org\/uwnutrition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}