Shelf-life is the period of time during which a food maintains its acceptable or desirable characteristics under specified storage and handling conditions. These acceptable or desirable characteristics can be related to the safety or quality of the product and can be microbiological, chemical or physical in nature. What is the date of minimum durability? Regulation EU No. When should this decision be taken? It is strongly recommended that the food manufacturer or producer document this process.
Food business operators who receive bulk food product and subsequently break it down and repackage it, are now responsible for ensuring that the information provided relating to this product, including its shelf-life, is correct, under Article 8 of Regulation EU No.
The FBOs are responsible for any changes they make to the food information accompanying a food. Do all foods require a shelf-life declaration?
No, a shelf-life declaration i. What are the shelf-life labelling requirements for non-prepacked foods? Non-prepacked or loose foods are foods offered for sale to the final consumer or to mass caterers without prepackaging. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. Reliability of use-by and best-before dates Foods need proper storage Check the packaging Collect cold and frozen foods last Where to get help. Reliability of use-by and best-before dates Manufacturers usually choose a best-before date well before the time when the food would be expected to deteriorate and spoil.
A conservative best-before date is designed to encourage you to eat the product while it is fresh and at its best, so you should consider best-before dates as a guide only.
Frozen and canned products, in particular, tend to keep their quality for some time after the best-before date. Foods need proper storage Whether or not a product keeps fresh and edible right up to the use-by or best-before date depends on how it is stored. Many foods need to be kept at certain temperatures, either in the fridge or freezer. For instance, fresh milk needs to be refrigerated. If a carton of milk is left out on the kitchen bench, it will quickly sour, regardless of its best-before date.
Check the packaging Foods can become spoiled well before their use-by or best-before date, either because their packaging has been damaged or they weren't transported or stored properly before sale. When you buy food, check for dents, leaks and tears in the packaging. If you can see any sign of damage, don't buy the product, as it might be contaminated with bacteria. Many products, such as dairy foods, need to be kept at a low temperature to avoid spoilage.
Don't buy any foods that need to be chilled or frozen if they are sitting on unrefrigerated shelves, or stacked in overfilled fridges. A report in produced by UK sustainability experts WRAP said that clearer guidance on date labels could cut food waste. Store dry ingredients including flour in airtight containers or sealed clip bags so they last even longer. If eggs are nearing their expiration date, yolks and whites can be separated and frozen.
With the yolks perfect for enriching omelettes, the whites can be used for sweet treat meringues. If sugar gets damp and goes hard, gently reheat in the microwave in a bowl covered with kitchen paper to absorb the moisture. Freshen up wrinkled and wilted vegetables in a bowl of cold water for half an hour. Soften honey, syrup or treacle that has crystallised by gently reheating in a container over hot water.
It is safe to freeze the majority of food right up to the use-by date, and then defrost in the fridge when required. Bakery goods including pies, tarts and cakes except ones with fresh cream can be portioned or sliced and stored in freezer bags. Frozen portions can then be defrosted and reheated. Fresh meat including chicken can be put in the freezer up until the use-by date. Meat should be frozen in an airtight container or wrapped well in cling film, marked with the use-by date.
Bread can be frozen either as a whole loaf or as the last few slices in the bag before the best before date. Slice the bread up and loosely tap on a hard surface before freezing to prevent the frozen slices sticking together.
Bread can be toasted straight from the freezer.
0コメント