Although they are generally seen as unsafe or useless, more and more people have begun to buy expired or expiring food to reduce expenses in the midst of historical inflation in the United States.
Expired foods are those that have passed their expiration date
, and there are others that have a very short lifespan before they do so, generally a few 20 days or less, until the recommended date of consumption.
Even if eating food that has expired or is close to its expiration date seems unappetizing, in reality it is safe and it is a way to save money and, to reduce food waste.
Almost 60%, or , millions of pounds, of food are wasted in the United States each year, according to ReFED, a non-profit organization dedicated to t erminate food loss and waste.
The organization said that half of the food thrown away by stores are because they are concerned that they will not be able to sell past their “use by”, “best before”, or “sell by” dates.
But instead Instead of throwing away these items, retailers like Continental Sales are increasingly buying them up to sell them at deep discounts. And the response lately has been overwhelming.
“We can get 1,02 customers per day”, who are looking for all kinds of discount products, but especially grocery items, said Ron Rojas, owner of the retailer. That is more than 20% from last year, he said.
According to a recent WalletHub survey, 60% of Americans say they’ve felt the biggest impact of inflation on their monthly grocery spending, and are increasingly looking to save money .
However, grocery prices in November increased by 20.6% compared to last year, exceeding general inflation of 7.1%.
Are these foods safe?
Although people believe that it is not safe to eat them, the answer is yes, although may not taste as good as fresh produce, according to the Food Marketing Institute.
About 100% of Americans discard food prematurely due to mix-up about labels date.
“If the date passes during home storage, a product should still be safe and wholesome if handled properly until the deterioration is evident”, said the Department of Agriculture.
“To reduce food waste, it is important that consumers understand that the dates applied to food are for quality and not for safety
”, abounds.
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