How to stay safe and eat well
June 11, 2012This week is Food Safety Week (11-17 June), which is a good reminder to keep an eye on the contents of your fridge and cupboards to stay safe with food.
Remember:
- “Use by” is the really important one as it relates to safety – we should never eat food past the end of its “use by”. However, if a food can be frozen its life can be extended – freeze it before the “use by” date, then defrost and use it within 24 hours.
- We can all check the “use by” dates on the food in our fridges on a regular basis and be sure to use (eat, cook or freeze) food before its “use by” to help us avoid throwing food away unnecessarily.
- “Best before” dates show how long the food will be at its best quality – it doesn’t refer to safety. Using food after the “best before” means that it will just not be at its best in terms of quality.
- The exception to this rule is eggs, providing the eggs are cooked thoroughly, they can be eaten a day or two after their “best before” date but not longer than this.
- “Display until” and “sell by” by can be safely ignored – that is just for shop staff, not for us!
For more inspiration, see last year’s Green Routine Fresh Look at Food pdf (812kb) download which will help you eat well, waste less and save you money.
The Love Food Hate Waste campaign has great recipes for using up leftovers, and top tips on making the most of our food.
The government’s Food Standards Agency has more more information on food safety and Food Safety Week.