Buy one get one free, half price for the second one. . This kind of food is often sold at "cabbage price"! Can you "picking up" with peace of mind? The State Administration for Market Regulation speaks →
Many people noticed when they went to the supermarket to buy, buy, and buy. Many supermarket counters are marked with "prompt food discount and price reduction" signs, often in such containers, from fresh vegetables to eggs and milk, from the second half of the price. When it comes to the "bundle sale" of "buy one get one free", the goods are readily available, and the promotional efforts are even more moving, but our doubts also follow.
What kind of food is "immediate"?
For these discounted foods or even cabbage prices, is there any risk for consumers when they “leak”?
Can I buy food at the end of the period with confidence?
Eat at ease?
What is impending food? How to define "immediate period"?
Temporary food refers to food that is about to reach the shelf life of the food but is still within the shelf life.
On January 27, 2012, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued a document clearly requiring that food operators should make eye-catching reminders to consumers about food that is about to expire.
In other words, foods that have reached the critical expiration date need to be notified to customers and sold separately.
So, specifically, how many days is the critical period for food?
This depends on the situation.
Marked with a shelf life of 1 year or longer, the critical period is 45 days before expiration, such as our common canned foods, candies, biscuits and other foods;
If the shelf life is 6 months to less than 1 year, the critical period is 20 days before expiration, such as instant noodles that are often stocked, aseptic packaged milk, juice, etc.;
For products with a shelf life of 90 days to less than half a year, the critical period is 15 days before expiration. This category is some of our common vacuum-packaged and refrigerated cooked foods, instant rice, etc.;
The fourth category, marked with a shelf life of 30 days to less than 90 days, the critical period is 10 days before expiration, which are mainly some sterilized packaged meat, fresh eggs, etc.;
For those with a shorter shelf life, between 16 days and less than 30 days, the critical period is 5 days before the expiration date, such as yogurt, snacks, etc.;
The last category is marked with a shorter shelf life, such as less than 15 days, and the critical period is 1-4 days before expiration, such as fresh milk, staple food that is made and sold, unsterilized cooked food, unsterilized boxed beans Products and so on.
What is the difference between shelf life and taste period?
It can be said that it is a routine operation to look at the expiration date when buying food.
However, with the diversification of products now, many people will find the three words "appreciation period" printed on the outer packaging when buying some overseas food.
So is the food that has passed the "appreciation period" counted as impending food?
Fan Zhihong, Associate Professor of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, College of Food Science and Technology, China Agricultural University: The shelf life is actually a concept that defines legal liability, that is, within the scope of the shelf life, the food producer is responsible for the basic quality and food safety of the food. I won’t be responsible anymore.
Appreciation period is a labeling method in Japan. It mainly considers that the taste quality can meet the requirements of the product standard. After the expiration date, the taste quality is not guaranteed, but here is actually not said that this thing must not be possible after the expiration date. After eating, food safety is not guaranteed.
As far as our country is concerned, we are not only considering the quality of its taste, but also its responsibility for food safety.
In fact, for many foods, especially those with a long shelf life, there is a certain amount of surplus in this shelf life.
Can I eat temporary food? Is it healthy to eat for a long time?
Some netizens worry that it is unhealthy to eat impending food for a long time.
Can you eat the food at the end of the period?
Will eating for a long time harm my health?
Fan Zhihong, associate professor of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, College of Food Science, China Agricultural University: Whether it is safe or not depends on whether the quality of the food has changed.
For example, eating potato chips, even if they just leave the factory, still have unhealthy factors.
But eating a canned tomato at the end of the period is not bad at all, there is no air leakage, and the microorganisms are not over the standard. It can still increase minerals and lycopene after eating.
Some of the nutrients in certain foods may indeed be lost as time goes by.
Let’s also look at canned tomatoes. When they leave the factory, most of their vitamin C content is still there after sterilization, and its vitamin C is still relatively stable, but its content will gradually decrease after two years.
Therefore, from this perspective, eating freshly delivered canned tomatoes has a higher nutritional value than eating fast-expiring canned tomatoes, but its safety characteristics may not change that much.
However, there are also some foods with a short shelf life, such as bus milk that needs to be refrigerated, and some soy products. The short shelf life of food is still relatively large in terms of safety risk, so you must be very careful.
How do consumers "picking up" and preserving impending food?
Because the price is relatively cheap, some consumers are keen to buy impending food. Then, what should consumers pay attention to when choosing among these "temporary food counters"?
How should I store it when I buy it home?
Fan Zhihong, Associate Professor of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, College of Food, China Agricultural University: Consumers must first consider the issue of food safety. If it expires at home, it also expires. The quantity bought must be proportional to the capacity and speed of eating. Don’t buy too much at a time. , To avoid creating new waste.
If you buy a lot of the same food.
Maybe they will redouble their efforts to eat every day, and it is likely that the health of consumers will decline during this time.
Second, consume as soon as possible after buying it back.
Third, when opening and eating, you must pay attention to the state of the food, because once it expires, the responsibility is the consumer's own. You can neither go to the supermarket, nor the website, nor the manufacturer of the product.
If after buying it, consumers are afraid that it will expire early or that it may not be eaten before it expires, and use low temperature methods to extend the shelf life of the food.
For example, tofu, first cut it into pieces, then wrap it in a fresh-keeping bag and place it in the freezer. The freezer may freeze for a month.
Keep it in the refrigerator for another week. It is likely that the bacteria will exceed the standard and you can't eat it.
The State Administration for Market Regulation issues consumer purchase reminders
Not long ago, the Food Sampling Inspection Department of the State Administration of Market Supervision commissioned authoritative food safety experts to produce "Can I Buy Pending Food?"
"Such popular science videos.
Introduce and interpret relevant food safety knowledge from different perspectives such as purchase, production, eating, and storage, and put forward reasonable suggestions.
Finally, draw an important point:
Temporary food is still within the shelf life
You can rest assured to buy and eat;
Buying temporary food should be purchased on demand
Don't hoard, so as to avoid waste due to expired deterioration
Finally, expiration at home is also expiration
It’s best to eat the purchased impending food within the shelf life
Source: CCTV News Client, CCTV Finance (ID: cctvyscj)