Expiration Dates on Food Packaging

Expiration Dates onFood Packaging

Provided by Barbara Brown, Ph.D., R.D./L.D.,

Food Specialist Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service,

Associate Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences

Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service 2

Today you will learn:• How to use open

dating• How to interpret

the date on egg cartons

• What you can learn from closed dating (coded)

2009


Think about it…• Sally found a carton

of eggs in her refrigerator with a date that has already passed. Eggs are expensive these days and she decides to use them anyway.

• What would you do?

2009


Is dating required by federal law?

• In general, no• Required for

infant formula & some baby food

• If use calendar date:• Must give month,

day, & year (on shelf-stable & frozen products)

• Immediately next to date must be phrase explaining meaning of date ("sell-by" or "use before”)

2009


Dating formula & baby food

• Dating is for quality & nutrient retention

• Federal regulations require "use-by" date on infant formula & baby food under FDA inspection

2009



• If eaten date on container, formula or food must contain at least the quantity of each nutrient as described on label

• Formula must be able to pass through an ordinary bottle nipple

2009



• “Use-by" date chosen by manufacturer, packer or distributor based on product analysis throughout its shelf life; tests; or other information• Also based on conditions of

handling, storage, preparation & use printed on label

• Do not buy or use baby formula or baby food after its "use-by" date

2009


Who does requirefood product dating?

• U.S. has is no uniform system

• Over 20 states require dating of some foods• In some areas of

much of food supply has some type date, in other areas almost, no food is dated

2009


2 types of dates• "Open Dating“: uses a calendar date• Date stamped on package to help

store determine how long to display product for sale

• Helps buyer know time limit to purchase or use product at its best quality

• Is not a safety date• “Closed Dating”: uses a code on food

product 2009


What Types of Food Are Dated?

• Open dating found primarily on perishable foods such as meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products, cereal, baked goods

• "Closed" or "coded“ used on some shelf-stable products• Cans & boxes

2009


Open Dating• Date easy to identify & interpret• Date beyond which quality may

fall below normal level


Types of open dating• "Sell-By" date: tells

store how long to display product for sale• Buy product before

date expires• Food still good for a

period of time at home if properly stored & handled

• Freezing makes date useless

2009


Types of open dating• "Best if Used By (or

Before)" date: recommended for best flavor or quality• Not a purchase or

safety date• After date has

passed there may be noticeably drop in quality

2009


Types of open dating• "Use-By" date: last date

recommended for use of product while at peak quality• Date determined by

manufacturer

2009


What about eggs?• Manufacturers

not required to put expiration or sell-by date on egg cartons

• Cartons must show when eggs were packed

2009


Example• Carton stamped “P 1692 070 SELL BY Apr 8”• Sometimes stamp reads “P1692 070 EXP

Apr 8”• Last 3 digits of the first number indicate

pack date, using the Julian calendar• In Julian dating system, the number

represents the consecutive days of the year• Jan 1 = 001, Dec 31 = 365 (or 366 in a leap year)

• This carton packed on day 070 (Mar 11)

2009


“P 1692 070 SELL BY Apr 8”

• American Egg Board: fresh shell eggs can be stored in their cartons in refrigerator for 4-5 weeks beyond pack date without significant quality loss

• Eggs would be good until April 8th or 15th

2009


Recommendations for eggs

• Always buy eggs before "Sell-By" or "EXP" date on carton

• At home, refrigerate eggs in original carton, in coldest part of refrigerator, not in door

• For best quality, use within 3-5 weeks of purchase date• “Sell-by“ or “EXP” date will usually

expire during that time, but eggs are safe to use

2009


Dates are not a guide for safe use of foods

• Tips: • Buy before

date expires• Follow

handling recommendations on food


Refrigerate or freeze• Perishables: take

home immediately & refrigerate promptly• Freeze if can't use in

time recommended• Once frozen, date

doesn't matter• Foods kept frozen continuously are safe indefinitely


Coded or closed dating• Used for

canned/packaged foods with long shelf life

2009


What is in the code• Code not readable by consumers• Provides info on date & place of

packing• Useful in recalls• Required on low-acid, canned

foods• Some companies will give

information on what the code means if asked

2009


Cracking canned food codes• No uniform coding system used• Some tell day, month, year of

production• Some only give year• Others numbers refer to specific

plant manufacturing or product information

• Usually found on top or bottom of can

2009


Reading can codes• Each canned food manufacturer

has unique coding system

2009


Deciphering the date (not universally used)

• For month coding, if a number is used, numbers 1-9 = Jan-Sept, & letters O=Oct, N=Nov, D=Dec• If letters are used, A=Jan &

L=Dec., unless otherwise noted• For year coding, 0=2000;

1=2001; 2=2002, 3=2003, etc

2009


Examples• Del Monte Foods• First line, four

digits• Position 1: Year• Position 2, 3 and

4: Julian Date• Example: 9045

(February 14, 2009)

• Bush Brothers & Co• Four digits:• Position 1: Month• Position 2 and 3:

Day• Position 4: Year• Example: 2069

(February 6, 2009)

2009


General can storage times

• If cans remain in good condition & have been stored in cool, clean, dry place

• High-acid foods can be stored on shelf 12-18 mo.

• Low-acid foods keep 2-5 years

2009


Once the package/can is open

• Any date is no longer meaningful

• Store correctly to extend shelf-life—see charts in handout

2009


Tips to determining storage time for top quality

• Buy the food before date expires• Take perishable food home immediately

after purchase, refrigerate promptly• Freeze food if won’t be used it within

times recommended on chart in handout

• Follow handling recommendations on product

• Consult storage chart in handout

2009


What would you do?• Sally found a carton

of eggs in her refrigerator with a date that has already passed. Eggs are expensive these days and she decides to use them anyway.

• What would you do?

2009


Today you learned:• The types of open dating & how

to make the most of the information provided

• How to interpret egg carton dates

• What closed dating (coded) can tell you about food products


Questions?

2009


Sources of information• Anon. (2007) Food product coding,

USDA FSIS at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/food_product_dating/index.asp

• Canned Food Alliance at www.mealtime.org

• Henneman, A. (2005) Decoding food product dates, Univ. of Nebraska Cooperative Extension at http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftjan05.htm2009

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/food_product_dating/index.asp

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/food_product_dating/index.asp

http://www.mealtime.org/

http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftjan05.htm

http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftjan05.htm

Expiration Dates on Food Packaging

Documents

Transcript of Expiration Dates on Food Packaging