Deciphering the Clues to Freshness

How fresh is the food you buy? It's hard to tell these days, what with the jumble of freshness codes, open dating, sell-by dates and packed-by dates appearing on different products. But because shoppers are increasingly concerned with this issue -- it was more important to surveyed shoppers than buying fat-reduced foods -- manufacturers are making it easier to decipher their freshness codes. There are not yet any industry standards or government regulations to ease our confusion. Until that happens, we must take the time to understand exactly what we are reading. "Freshness coding" that we can read on packages is a relatively recent phenomenon. The good news is, although there are no standards, the codes must be readable and easy to understand. When a milk carton has a date under the words "sell by," for example, it means exactly that. The milk or cheese or whatever should be sold by this date (and shouldn't be bought after it). That doesn't mean the product is spoiled; it's just past its prime. How much time you should allow before consuming the product depends on what it is and how it's packaged. If you're in doubt, call the toll-free consumer hot-line number listed on the package.

Milk Milk has led the way in establishing both the perceived image and importance of freshness. Take a scene in the hit movie "Clerks," which chronicled the adventures of a convenience store employee. One scene featured a woman obsessed with finding the freshest carton of milk. She removes every carton from the cooler to reach the one furthest in the back, placing the others on the floor. Finally satisfied that she has found the ultimate date code, she leaves the store with the remaining cartons still on the floor. The clerks call this type of shopper a "milk maid." I happen to be one of those consumers who searches way in the back for the milk marked with the latest date. And for two good reasons: I want to get the freshest milk possible, plus I know that the milk in the back of the case is the coldest! But I never leave the shelves a mess! All states require "sell by" dates, but there is no consistent requirement of how many days before the product spoils. The factor that most effects shelf life is temperature. Milk should be stored, both in the grocery and at home, between 40 degrees and 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Dairies often "short date" milk by seven to 10 days to ensure that they meet state regulations and we drink the milk at its peak. That means the actual "drink by" date can be about a week later than the date stamped on the container.

What about other products? Recently Pepsi started what I suspect will be a major trend -- advertising and branding freshness. Freshness? Of Pepsi? Yes! Take Diet Pepsi. When stored correctly (refrigerated or at room temperature), it will stay at peak flavor for only about 100 days. This is because its artificial sweetener, Nutrasweet, loses its flavor over time. If you store Diet Pepsi in a warm area, it will lose sweetness faster.

Temperature is key Temperature remains one of the most critical ways to maintain freshness. We can control storage at home, but what about before food gets to us? Manufacturers and retailers must ensure that product temperatures in shipping and storage are at the proper levels. If you see ice cream that's soft in the freezer case, or milk that's not cold, you don't buy it. You know it won't last as long. The same rule (perhaps not in the same extreme) pertains to all fresh products. So, be a "milk maid" if you must, and make sure your foods are fresh when you buy them.