Food

“Best Before” Food Labels Come Under Heavy Scrutiny

Published

2 years ago

October 6, 2022

Bchcomber

"Best Before" Food Labels Come Under Heavy Scrutiny

As more people worldwide learn about food waste, “best before” labels are being revisited and looked at closely by food waist advocacy groups. Since the 1970s, manufacturers have used the “best before” labels to estimate when food will be at its freshest.

Unlike “use by” labels, which are labelled on perishable foods like meat and dairy, “best before” labels have nothing to do with safety, this may cause people to throw away food that is still good to eat.

“They see these dates and think it’s bad, they can’t eat it, so they throw it away,” said Patty Apple, a manager at Food Shift, an Alameda, California, nonprofit that collects and uses imperfect or expired foods.

To fix the problem, major U.K. stores like Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, and Marks & Spencer recently took off “best before” labels from prepackaged fruits and vegetables.

By the end of this year, the European Union is likely to announce changes to its labelling laws. It is considering getting rid of “best before” labels altogether.

best before labels

Eliminate Best Before Labels

There is no similar movement in the U.S. to get rid of “best before” labels. But there is growing support for standardizing the language on date labels to help educate buyers about food waste.

This includes a push from big grocery stores and food companies, as well as legislation in Congress that has support from both parties.

Dana Gunders, executive director of ReFED, a New York-based nonprofit that studies food waste, said, “I do think that support for this has grown a lot.”

The United Nations says that 17% of the world’s food is wasted every year, and most of that comes from individual households. ReFED says that up to 35% of the food in the U.S. goes to waste.

This wastes a lot of energy, like the water, land, and labour that are used to make the food, and it also causes more greenhouse gas emissions when the food ends up in landfills.

There are many reasons why food is wasted, like serving sizes that are too big or customers who won’t buy imperfect food. But ReFED thinks that “best before” labels cause people to throw away 7% of U.S. food, or 4 million tons per year.

In the 1970s, manufacturers put dates on a lot of their products to reassure customers that they were still fresh. There are no rules about them at the federal level, so manufacturers can decide when they think their products will taste best. In the U.S., only baby formula has to have a “use by” date.

best before labels

50 different date labels

Since 2019, the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates about 80% of U.S. food, now recommends that manufacturers use the labels “best if used by” for freshness and “use by” for perishable goods. This is because surveys have shown that consumers understand these phrases.

But the effort is voluntary, and labels still say different things, like “sell by,” “enjoy by,” and “freshest before.” The University of Maryland found that U.S. grocery stores use at least 50 different date labels and that customers are often confused.

“Most people think that you can’t eat something if it says “sell by,” “best by,” or “expiration.” “That’s not true,” said Richard Lipsit, who owns a store in Pleasanton, California, called Grocery Outlet that sells food at a discount.

Lipsit said that milk is safe to drink up to a week after its “use by” date. Gunders said that canned foods and many other packaged foods could be eaten safely for years after their “best before” date. The FDA says that if you want to know if food is safe to eat, look for changes in colour, consistency, or feel.

“Our bodies are very good at telling when food has gone bad and is no longer safe to eat,” Gunders said. “We no longer believe in those senses, but we do believe in these dates.”

Some grocery stores in the U.K. actively tell people to use their senses. In January, Morrisons changed the “use by” dates on most of its store-brand milk to “best before” dates. Another grocery store, Co-op, did the same thing to its store-brand yogurts.

Throw away more food

Some shoppers like this change. Ellie Spanswick is a social media marketer in Falmouth, England. When she can, she buys fruits, vegetables, eggs, and other food at farm stands and local shops.

She said that the food didn’t have labels, but it was easy to see that it was fresh.

“Least of all the last thing we should do is throw away more food and money because a label says it’s no longer good to eat,” Spanswick said.

Not everyone agrees, though. Ana Wetrov, who lives in London and runs a home improvement business with her husband, is worried that staff might not know which items should be taken off the shelves if they don’t have labels.

She recently bought a pineapple. When she cut into it, she saw that the middle was rotting.

“These packages have had dates on them for about 20 years. Why fix something that isn’t broken? Wetrov said.

Some U.S. chains, like Walmart, have changed the labels on their store brands to say “best if used by” and “use by.” Big manufacturers like General Mills and Dole, which are members of the Consumer Brands Association, also encourage their members to use these labels.

Katie Denis, who is in charge of communications for the association, said, “Uniformity makes it much easier for our companies to make products and keep prices low.”

In the absence of a federal policy, the states have passed their own laws, which has caused food companies and grocery stores a lot of trouble.

Illegal to give food away

Emily Lieb, director of the Food Law and Policy Clinic at the Harvard Law School, says that shellfish and dairy must have “sell by” dates in Florida and Nevada, and eggs must have “best by” or “use by” date labels in Arizona.

Some companies, like Unilever, are trying to get rid of the confusion by supporting a bill in Congress that would standardize U.S. dating labels and make it so that food could be given to rescue groups even after its quality date.

Lieb said that at least 20 states have laws that make it illegal to sell or give away food after the date on the label.

Nonprofit organizations like Food Shift, which trains chefs using rescued food, could benefit from clearer rules about labelling and donations. Apple said that it even makes treats for dogs out of overripe bananas, uses chicken fat, and spent grain from a brewery.

Apple said, “We definitely need to pay more attention to small things like changing expiration dates because even though it’s a small part of the food waste problem as a whole, it can make a big difference.”

Food

America’s French Fry King Sounds An Alarm

Published

2 months ago

October 8, 2024

kiaragrace

Americans are revolting against McDonald’s and other fast-food establishments. This is harming French fry suppliers like Lamb Weston.

Lamb Weston, North America’s largest manufacturer of french fries and a significant supplier to fast-food chains, restaurants, and grocery stores, is closing a production facility in Washington state. Last week, the company stated that it would lay off almost 400 employees, or 4% of its workforce, and temporarily shut down manufacturing lines in response to falling customer demand.

Lamb Weston (LW) shares have plummeted 35% this year.

America’s French Fry King Sounds An Alarm

The potato giant is oversupplied at a time when demand is low. In recent years, restaurant prices have risen faster than grocery store prices, prompting shoppers to avoid fast-food establishments.

This move has had an impact on Lamb Weston because individuals are less inclined to prepare French fries at home. According to Lamb Weston, fast-food restaurants account for around 80% of all french fries consumed in the United States.

Fast-food restaurants, such as McDonald’s, are offering bargain menus to entice customers back. McDonald’s has introduced a $5 meal that contains a McDouble cheeseburger or a McChicken sandwich, small french fries, four chicken nuggets, and a small soft drink. However, these promotions are not benefiting Lamb Weston because customers are purchasing fewer portions of fries.

“Many of these promotional meal deals have consumers trading down from a medium fry to a small fry,” Lamb Weston CEO Thomas Werner stated during an earnings call last week.

Lamb Weston did not immediately reply to CNN’s request for comment.

McDonald’s, Lamb Weston’s largest customer, accounts for 13% of revenue. As McDonald’s goes, so does Lamb Weston.

America’s French Fry King Sounds An Alarm

And McDonald’s is struggling. Sales at US restaurants open at least a year declined 0.7% last quarter compared to the same period a year ago, dragged down by fewer consumers visiting the brand.

Lamb Weston is also heavily exposed to other fast-food companies, according to analyst R.J. Hottovy of analytics firm Placer.ai, in a research note to clients last week.

Customer traffic to fast-food restaurants fell 2% last quarter and 3% the prior quarter compared to the same period last year, according to Lamb Weston.

SOURCE | CNN

Food

Logan Paul And MrBeast Have A Lunchables Competitor That They Say Is Healthy

Published

2 months ago

October 3, 2024

kiaragrace

YouTube’s top stars have launched their competitor to Lunchables.

MrBeast, Logan Paul, and KSI are collaborating on a “groundbreaking new better-for-you lunch option” called Lunchly, combining all their goods into a single meal geared at their younger fans.

The all-in-one meal includes a bottle of Prime Hydration, a sports drink alternative founded by Paul and KSI that has grown in popularity; a Feastables milk chocolate bar created by MrBeast, a popular YouTube star with over 300 million subscribers; and one of three processed food options, including pizza, nachos, or turkey aand cheese with crackers.

Logan Paul And MrBeast Have A Lunchables Competitor That They Say Is Healthy

“Our ultimate goal has always been to offer not only high-quality products, but also healthier alternatives,” Lunchly cofounder Logan Paul stated in a press release. He also stated that the school lunch industry has been “dominated by Lunchables” since he was a child, and that it is “time to provide a better option for those looking for a convenient, healthier choice.”

Lunchly promises to be “healthier” since Prime contains more electrolytes than a Capri Sun in Lunchables, and Mr. Beast’s chocolate bar contains less sugar than a Kit Kat or Crunch bar.

Lunchly’s launch comes after Lunchable, owned by Kraft Heinz, announced a huge initiative last year to participate in school lunch programs. However, the company had to reformulate the components first to guarantee that the items met regulatory rules, which included incorporating fresh fruit into their meals.

Consumer Reports reported in 2024 that it recently studied the nutritional profiles of two Lunchables kits supplied in schools and discovered that they contain significantly more sodium than the Lunchables kits available in stores.

Logan Paul And MrBeast Have A Lunchables Competitor That They Say Is Healthy

Of course, KSI, Paul, and MrBeast know how to create brands, thanks partly to their devoted following. Despite government worries about the caffeine content of some of its drinks, Prime sales have risen, threatening industry leaders such as Gatorade and BodyArmor.

“Prime brings a youthful buying cohort that hasn’t had a lot pitched their way beyond traditional kids’ drinks,” Jeffrey Klineman, editor-in-chief of BevNet, previously told CNN. “Paul is significantly more intriguing to a 13-year-old than a juice box.”

SOURCE | CNN

Food

Beyond Soups and Stews: Unexpected Ways to Utilize Your 5 Litre Pressure Cooker

Published

5 months ago

June 21, 2024

Freelancer

Beyond Soups and Stews: Unexpected Ways to Utilize Your 5 Litre Pressure Cooker

Pressure cookers are very popular cooking utensils for preparing soups, stews, and tenderising meats in quick time. However, their versatility and uses go far beyond these traditional uses.

If you’re trying to use your 5 litre pressure cooker differently, you are at the right place, as we are going to explore unexpected and creative ways to use this essential kitchen utensil.

Infused oils and extract

You can use your pressure cooker to prepare infused oils and extracts. To do that, you have to put the herbs, spices, or citrus peels in a jar filled with oil or alcohol. Then, seal the jar and cook under low pressure for a short time to infuse the flavours uniformly.

By this method, you can extract intense flavours in a quick time as compared to what it takes through traditional infusion methods. You can also experiment with combinations like rosemary-infused olive oil or vanilla extract for baking.

Artisanal Curd Making

You can use your pressure cooker to prepare yoghurt. To do that you have to heat the milk to a proper and specific temperature, and then cool it down before adding yoghurt culture. After that, keep the mixture in jars, seal, and ferment in the pressure cooker with the use of the yoghurt setting. And yes, after that, you will have creamy, homemade yoghurt at a much lower cost than store-bought varieties. You can add up your yoghurt, various flavours and toppings for a healthy breakfast or snack option.

Quick pickling

You can also prepare quick pickles using your pressure cooker. For doing that combine the ingredients such as vinegar, water, salt, and your choice of vegetables or fruits in the cooker.

Now, after that, cook under pressure for a few minutes to infuse the flavours rapidly.

Once it is done and cooled, your quick pickles will be ready to eat and enjoy, giving a taste of tangy flavour to sandwiches, salads, or charcuterie boards. You can do this using different spices and herbs to prepare unique flavour profiles for your pickles.

Steaming vegetables and seafood

You can use your pressure cooker’s steaming capabilities to cook vegetables and seafood very easily and quickly. To do that, you have to place a steamer basket inside the cooker, add water, and put your ingredients.

Then, after that, cook under pressure for a few minutes to keep the nutrients intact and also get the perfect tenderness. From crisp-tender asparagus to succulent shrimp, the possibilities of preparing the dishes are many. You can add different flavours using aromatic herbs, spices, and citrus zest.

Homemade bread and desserts

You can amaze your family with freshly baked bread and delicious desserts that can easily be prepared in your pressure cooker. To do that, use the cooker as a makeshift oven by placing a trivet inside and also adding water to it.

After that, you have to place your bread dough or dessert batter in a heat-proof container, cover it, and then cook under low pressure. In very little time, you will get tender bread or delicious desserts without even messing up the kitchen. You can also try various other recipes like chocolate lava cake or savoury herb bread for a delightful treat.

One-pot pasta dishes

You can easily prepare one-pot pasta dishes that are cooked perfectly in your pressure cooker. To do that you have to combine pasta, sauce, vegetables, and protein in the cooker, and also remember to check and put enough liquid for cooking. Then, seal and cook under pressure for a few minutes. This will allow the flavours to get mixed beautifully.

And with this, from classic spaghetti marinara to creamy Alfredo, your pressure cooker can do it all. You can enhance your pasta with your favourite ingredients and garnishes.

Conclusion on a pressure cooker

Cooking indeed is a creative method. Do justice to your creative culinary spirit with your 5-litre pressure cooker. Bake bread, make homemade yoghurt, and make several main dishes as well as side dishes using a wide pressure cooker.

Impress everyone and yourself! Make the best out of your culinary instincts.

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