'Save money & buy food items on sale' - Donald E. de Castro
He was speaking last evening October 14, 2015 on his Straight Talk show aired on ZBVI 780 AM from 8:00 pm.
He said it is bad enough that a lot of food is wasted just because people don't want to purchase them close to the date that is marked on them.
"I myself used to go to the supermarkets and when they had these products on sale I used to buy them by the quantity because I knew that the date didn't mean anything," he said.
"You can save money. When you see these products on sale coming close to the date, buy them. You can save a lot of money. These manufacturers put these dates on to get the public confused to buy more food," he said.
He said some of the big supermarkets in the US are mandated to donate such foods to charity. "So how is it bad if it is being donated to charity? It is so bad to sell but not bad to give to charity?" he asked.
"The charities know better...they know the food is good. So why don't you?"
"Who believes in this territory that these food dates mean life and death? Do you? Those of you that want to understand what I am saying you will understand. You can do your own research if you want to. But it is important. We need to save money where we can," he challenged.
He is of the view that the same people who are not inclined to buy food near to the expiry date are some of the same ones who go to the supermarkets and buy the worst processed foods to give their children.
"What is the worst processed food? Cold cereal. That is the worst thing you could give children to eat whether it is outdated or not," he said.
"Don't let these dates rob you of your hard earned dollars," he urged.
What do the labels mean?
According to an article on StillTasty.com, items marked with the label Use-By, Best if Used By, Best By, Best Before are generally found on shelf-stable products such as mustard, mayonnaise, and peanut butter.
“The date, which is provided voluntarily by the manufacturer, tells you how long the product is likely to remain at its absolute best quality when unopened. But, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service points out, it is not a safety date,” said the article.
It said that after the "use by" or “best” date has passed, you may start to notice gradual changes in the unopened product’s texture, color, or flavour. “But as long as you’ve been storing the unopened item properly, you can generally consume it beyond this date,” it said.
It said that your best bet for gauging whether an unopened shelf-stable product with this type of date is still of satisfactory quality is to simply smell and examine it first. “Always discard foods that have developed an off odour, flavour or appearance."
It said that the “Sell-By” label is mostly found on perishables like meat, seafood, poultry and milk. The date is a guide for stores to know how long they can display a particular product.
“You should buy the product before the sell-by date expires. But you can still store it at home for some time beyond that date, as long as you follow safe storage procedures,” it said.
“For instance, milk that has been continuously refrigerated will usually remain drinkable for about one week after the "sell by" date on the package. Likewise, you can store ground beef in your refrigerator for 1 to 2 days after purchasing it, even if the sell-by date expires during that time,” the article noted.
It said that for foods labelled “Expires On”, you should always use the product before this expiration date has passed.
14 Responses to “'Save money & buy food items on sale' - Donald E. de Castro ”
WAIT WAIT WAIT.... so u mean to tell me we should settle for ALMOST expired food ??? Were so badly off that we the consumers cant afford the Active foods ????