Close X
Saturday, September 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

Tips To Avoid Mishandling Food So You Can Prolong Shelf Life

The Canadian Press, 14 Mar, 2016 11:31 AM
    Best-before dates are put on packages to indicate a food's peak quality. But once a food item has been opened, the best-before date is no longer valid.
     
    You can prolong a food's freshness by handling and storing it properly, says Getty Stewart, a professional home economist in Winnipeg.
     
    The time to look at the best-before date is when you're shopping, says Stewart. 
     
    To save money, you can consider buying items marked down because the best-before date is very close. If you can use or freeze the product right away, you can often get some great deals and still get quality food.
     
    "Retailers are allowed to sell products after the best-before date. Retailers are compelled by law to sell food that is safe. Those two rules would be in the mind of a retailer so they know the dairy — which is probably a little more sensitive — there's no sense putting a sale on the milk that's already past the best-before date, but the can of tuna or the salad dressing that is close to the best-before date, they could sell that," she adds.
     
    Here are some other tips from Stewart:
     
    — At home, set up your own inventory control system. Keep a marker on hand to indicate the date an item is opened. Eat the oldest items first before buying more.
     
    — Buy smaller jars so you can use them up while the contents are of better quality.
     
    — Store food at the correct temperature. "If I'm serving milk with dinner I'm better off to pour the milk into everybody's glasses, and put the jug of milk back in the fridge. I want to limit the amount of time that my food is in that bacterial danger zone of 4 to 60 degrees Celsius" (40 F to 140 F), says Stewart.
     
    — Don't put the whole container of something like sour cream on the table during a meal. Spoon some into a dish and put the container back into the fridge. Provide a serving utensil so diners aren't "double dipping" with their own cutlery, which adds bacteria and makes it spoil more quickly.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    How Many Privately Sponsored Syrians Canada Will Accept Remains Open Question

    How Many Privately Sponsored Syrians Canada Will Accept Remains Open Question
    Through pub nights, crowd funding websites, church suppers and craft bazaars, thousands of Canadians are currently trying to raise money to sponsor a Syrian refugee.

    How Many Privately Sponsored Syrians Canada Will Accept Remains Open Question

    Regina Murder And Abuse Trial Hears Of 'Skinny' Girls Who Ate Their Meals

    Regina Murder And Abuse Trial Hears Of 'Skinny' Girls Who Ate Their Meals
    A teenage boy who once stayed in the home of Tammy and Kevin Goforth took the stand today — the first of four defence witnesses who are expected to testify.

    Regina Murder And Abuse Trial Hears Of 'Skinny' Girls Who Ate Their Meals

    Liberals To Repeal Tory-Backed Bills On Union Finances And Certification Process

    Liberals To Repeal Tory-Backed Bills On Union Finances And Certification Process
    Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk says the legislation she will introduce is a signal of a new relationship with labour after almost a decade of rocky relations under the Conservatives.

    Liberals To Repeal Tory-Backed Bills On Union Finances And Certification Process

    Manitoba Looks At Overhauling ER Layouts After Death Of Man During 34-Hour Wait

    Manitoba Looks At Overhauling ER Layouts After Death Of Man During 34-Hour Wait
    The family of Brian Sinclair, who died in a Winnipeg emergency room in 2008, says changing the configuration of ERs won't address the reason why the 45-year-old died without treatment.

    Manitoba Looks At Overhauling ER Layouts After Death Of Man During 34-Hour Wait

    Young Man Convicted In Rehtaeh Parsons Cyberbullying Case Facing New, Unrelated Charges

    The man, who is now 21, can't be named because he was a minor when he posed for an explicit photo showing him having sex with the 15-year-old, and then distributed the picture to some classmates.

    Young Man Convicted In Rehtaeh Parsons Cyberbullying Case Facing New, Unrelated Charges

    Alberta Minister Hopes Report Can Improve How Police React To Mental Health Cases

    Alberta Minister Hopes Report Can Improve How Police React To Mental Health Cases
    Pressure on law enforcement has increased after David McQueen, who was suffering from depression, was shot and killed by Calgary police on Sunday.  

    Alberta Minister Hopes Report Can Improve How Police React To Mental Health Cases