Expired - will you eat them? 過期的食物還可以吃嗎？

It's expired, will you still eat it?

On a regular day, when you open your fridge or kitchen cabinet, it's possible to find some food that have passed their 'use by' dates. Will you throw them away without a second thought? Or will you keep them for another day or two, even week?

A new survey sponsored by ShelfLifeAdvice.com, a food storage reference website found that, 3/4 American consumers believe certain foods are are unsafe to eat after their exparation dates. Resulting in billions of dollars of unnecessarily food discard each year.

However, if most foods are stored properly, they can be safe for days after the 'use by' date, according to experts. This include flour, sugar, rice and cake mixes. These dry goods should be safe unless they become wet.

Other food that can last longer:

-peanut butter, can be good for months

-breakfast cereal, if it’s stored in a cool, dry place

-toothpaste

-eggs, can be good for 3-5 weeks

Experts warn about cross-contamination, temperature control and sanitation issues, which can lead to dangerous foodborne illnesses, such as Salmonella and E.Coli. Pathogen contamination is much more of a threat to people’s health than shelf life spoilage.

The FDA says molds on food can cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems, and that a few molds can have mycotoxins, which can make you sick. full story

過期的食物還可以吃嗎？

打開冰箱或櫥櫃，不難發現有些食物已經過了「食用有效期」，在這種丟了可惜、吃了可怕的情況下，你是忍痛捨棄，還是節儉掛帥保留下來？專家表示，如果有效及良好的儲存這些食物，即使已經過期，卻可以安全食用。

根據一項調查顯示，有3/4的美國消費者認為過期食品不易進食，但是專家表示，一些像麵粉、米、糖之類的乾糧，除非弄濕，否則可以放心食用。雞蛋只要放在冰箱，大概也可以保留3-5個星期。只要保存得好，花生醬、營養早餐穀類、牙膏等，即使過期也無防。

除了食用有效期之外，專家比較關注的是污染、氣溫控制及環境衛生問題，因為像沙門氏桿菌、大腸桿菌之類的病原體感染，可以導致嚴重的食物中毒。食物的霉菌也可能造成過敏及呼吸問題。