Seeing Beyond the Expiration Date

We waste a lot of food. While the strict definition of what “sustainable food” is might not address the reality of our waste, the quantity in which we waste food goes directly against any sort of notion of sustainability. We throw out perfectly good food willy-nilly: it fills the dumpsters behind grocery stores and restaurants, it’s left on our plates and thrown without hesitation into the trash, tossed without heed when we clean out our refrigerators and kitchen cabinets. There are probably lots of factors that contribute to why many of us don’t think twice before throwing out so much food, like our ideas about food safety, food security status, and so on. Whatever the reasons, we Americans throw away over 40 percent of our food, and need to start employing strategies to counter that number and cut down on our wastefulness to create a more sustainable food system.

I’m not necessarily suggesting anything as “extreme” as dumpster diving, but I think it’s worth pointing out that, in reality, dumpster diving is not very extreme at all. However the fact that we have that perception about dumpster diving demonstrates our general discomfort with food that’s been discarded. Dumpster diving doesn’t mean rooting around in trash cans full of rotting, moldy food. It might be better referred to as food rescue, for it is saving perfectly good food from getting to the point of rotting. Behind supermarkets, bakeries, and restaurants there are bins full of all kinds of fruits, vegetables, breads, etc. that are just past their “sell by” date or are tossed to make way for a new shipment of food. Rescuing food from the landfill (or compost) also lowers the amount of money you spend on food, particularly because much of the food thrown away is the pricey produce. While grocery stores do donate a lot of just-expired food to food banks and soup kitchens, there is plenty ripe for the taking if you know where to find it. It should also be noted that many markets, particularly small, independent markets are finding ways to reduce waste by incorporating food that isn’t sell-able into prepared salads and such.

If you’re not comfortable with dumpster diving, you can reduce your personal food waste by reconsidering expiration dates. The expiration date, as it turns out, isn’t much of an indicator as to whether or not our food should be discarded for safety reasons. In most cases, it’s pretty ambiguous and more of a suggestion than anything else. Something that I think is integral to the idea of sustainable food, is being more connected, aware, and in touch with your food, which has a lot of bearing on waste. If the expiration or “best by” date says one thing, but after you look it over and give it a sniff it seems fine, then it is probably fine. Our bodies are generally capable of telling us what is ok and what isn’t ok to eat, and we should return to honoring that sense, rather than rely without question to standards set by someone else. Often expiration dates are decided upon based on the worse case scenario, like if someone didn’t refrigerate their groceries right away or didn’t seal a package fully. The shelf life of food is far extended if it is stored properly. Even the regulations that set expiration dates for staples like milk vary state to state. When it comes to something as wishy-washy as “expiration” dates, it’s better to rely on your gut instinct.

I don’t mean to say that we should lower our standards completely and only eat food that’s on the brink of bad. Even I get a bit squeamish if the raw milk in my fridge starts to smell a little off. But if we commit to supporting sustainable food, part of that is committing to be much more conscious of what we waste, whether it’s cutting down on portion sizes, buying less, or checking out the dumpster scene.

via http://www.justmeans.com/Sustainable-Food-Footnotes-Seeing-Beyond-Expiration-Date/21465.html