I admit it, when it comes to food, I have some eeew-inducing practices, like skimming mold off old cheddar and feeding the rest to my unsuspecting family. Weâre still alive, so how bad can it be? Because our gross human habits fall somewhere along the spectrum from mildly cringeworthy to full-on repulsive, I reached out to experts to find out where some common behaviors land on the gross-o-meter.
EATING OLD FOOD
The stamped expiration dateâand its confusing cousins âuse byâ and âbest beforeââshould be but one tool in your hmm-should-I-eat-this? toolbox.
âWith the exception of infant formula, food labels arenât standardized or regulated,â says nutritionist Marie Spiker, an assistant professor at the University of Washington. âFew are related to biology or food safetyâjust peak freshness.â And so, she says, itâs totally fine and safe to eat foods that are not at their exact peak.
Handling, packaging, refrigeration and storage all affect any foodâs farmto-plate timeline, so your best tools are your eyes and nose.
âMost of the time, this is intuitive,â says Spiker. âIf it looks good and smells good, itâs probably good.â Not sure? Consider this: âSpores spread through soft, porous surfaces. So in general, hard foods are more difficult to permeate and therefore safer to eat,â she says. Donât trust your sense of smell or sight? Check out the FDAâs website, where food safety guidelines are available.
So you probably should toss the whole package if you spot mold on bread, soft cheeses like Brie and feta, or soft produce such as strawberries. But itâs not too gross to slice off the funky stuff and save the rest of potatoes, cured meat like salami, or hard cheeses like my beloved cheddar.
BORROWING A TOOTHBRUSH
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