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Vancouver Sun
5 days ago
- General
- Vancouver Sun
5 myths about food expiration dates and best-by labels
Date labels. Expiration dates. Best-by dates. Whatever you call them, at some point, you've probably squinted at those tiny dot-matrix-printed numbers and wondered: 'Does this mean my cheese might kill me?' If so, you're not alone. Date labels are often unclear, inconsistent and, it's fair to say, downright bewildering. There's a lot to demystify. As you navigate the wilds of your fridge, cabinets and pantry, and, perhaps as you and your partner or roommates trade heated words over less-than-fresh orange juice that c'mon, guys, really seems fine, consider these myths about the little prophecies stamped on our food. – – – Discover the best of B.C.'s recipes, restaurants and wine. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of West Coast Table will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Myth: All food should be thrown away as soon as the printed date passes 'Many people interpret food dates to be about the safety of food,' said Dana Gunders, president of ReFED, a U.S. nonprofit dedicated to food waste reduction. So what happens after the printed date? If you wait long enough, most perishable goods will obviously spoil, while most shelf-stable goods will physically degrade, which could take a very long time. So, flavours and colours might fade. Old almonds, for example, won't be overrun with bacteria but will taste off as their oils break down. Acidic dairy products such as yogurt and sour cream are inhospitable to dangerous bacteria but may become more tart over time (you might also find obvious spoilage, like mold, after an open yogurt container has spent awhile in the fridge). Properly refrigerated pasteurized milk can be fine past its date, but will eventually develop off odours and flavours. So, in most cases, you can inspect, sniff and, where reasonable, taste food past its preordained shelf life to determine if it's still good enough for you. But … – – – Myth: You can always rely on your senses when assessing food past its date Some moist foods served straight from the fridge can host dangerous bacteria that can, over time, grow to infectious levels, even under refrigeration, even as the food still looks and smells fine. These foods are particularly risky during pregnancy, so Gunders suggests deference to dates on foods, such as deli meats, that pregnant people are told to avoid. Kathy Glass, who recently retired as associate director at the Food Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, said she respects 'use-by' dates and other storage guidance (like an ideal fridge temperature) on refrigerated products, particularly those designed to be eaten cold. 'Many manufacturers have researched spoilage versus safety to determine those dates,' she said. On those keep-cold products, she said the phrase 'use by' signals 'they've done their studies to demonstrate that if you would use it by that particular date, and you kept it at a good refrigeration temperature, it should be safe.' Food should be refrigerated between 35 and 40 degrees, she said. 'It's not as if it's going to explode in your refrigerator on the 'use-by' date,' said Glass, whose work included testing pathogens' abilities to grow in various food products in conditions simulating consumer kitchens. But, she said, caution is warranted, especially for people with less robust immune systems. You can also pause the clock by freezing the food, or, if you're on the edge, minimize the risk by cooking, say, slices of turkey breast, to 165 degrees. Breakfast sandwich, anyone? Of course, you might also see 'use by' on products that don't require any special precautions. That brings us to our next myth … – – – Myth: Date labels are nationally standardized 'Use by,' 'best by,' 'expires on' or any of the other myriad phrases you might see stamped on your food don't have official definitions. The federal government requires a 'use-by' date only on infant formula (the date is the last point at which the manufacturer guarantees the nutritional content; nutrients eventually degrade). Absent broad federal regulation, a patchwork of state and local laws, some contradicting each other and sending good food to the trash, govern date labels on various foods. In Montana, for example, milk must bear a 'sell-by' date of 12 days post pasteurization, even though milk usually lasts longer. After that, stores can't legally sell it. Advocates want to eliminate consumer-facing 'sell by' dates and restrict manufacturers to 'best if used by' for quality and 'use by' for safety. Bills to codify this have floated around Congress for years, and a coalition of food companies created a voluntary standard in 2017. But plenty of manufacturers still use other phrases. Sometimes they have no choice. Because of the existing state laws, companies 'couldn't fully follow that voluntary standard without running afoul of state law,' said Emily Broad Leib, director of the Food Law and Policy Clinic at Harvard Law School. Still, next year, a new California law simplifying consumer-facing date labels to the 'best if used by'/'use-by' binary goes into effect, and the Food and Drug Administration and Department of Agriculture recently concluded a public comment period on food dating. Broad Leib's legal clinic, ReFED and others believe the federal agencies could use their regulatory authority to streamline date labels. 'People are wasting money every day by throwing food away that they could be eating,' Broad Leib said. People should 'have the freedom to say, 'The date passed, but this still looks and smells fine.' … And for the small number of foods where there is actually a safety risk, not having these standards is also making people potentially take extra risk.' – – – Myth: Most date labels are meaningless Companies determine shelf life in a number of ways, from rigorous original research to reliance on past product data or food science concepts, or even consumer complaints and educated guesses. Depending on how the company arrives at the date, it could be very conservative, with a lot of decent quality shelf life remaining, or you could notice the product declining quickly after the date. Interpret dates on shelf-stable foods as the last point at which the manufacturer guarantees quality. At Nature's Path Organic Foods, Linsey Herman, associate vice president of research and development, said accurate date labels are a priority for keeping customers happy. The breakfast and snack food company's employees conduct weekly blind taste tests on products stored in various conditions for various time periods. When enough people detect a notable quality slip, shelf life is established. While many factors affect how a food ages, Herman said ground seeds and nuts, whose healthier fats break down relatively quickly, often shrink shelf lives. Rancid fats can smell like paint or cardboard or have an otherwise unappetizing odor. A Nature's Path cereal with ground flaxseed, for example, has about half the shelf life of a grain-based flake cereal. Once a 'best by' date passes, Herman urges consumers to use their judgment. 'Maybe you stored it in a cool, dark place so it's in great shape and it might have a long shelf life,' she said, noting that storage near heat sources like the stove can accelerate aging. But, she said, if you get a chemically whiff from those broken-down oils, 'I would not recommend eating it.' I know that off-putting smell from my own cabinet-aged granola bars. On the other hand, I recently had no qualms pouring corn kernels more than a year past their 'best by' date into my popcorn popper. My snack turned out great. Some dates may be more meaningful than others, but I'd argue it's worth paying attention to them to help nudge yourself toward eating what you have. Ultimately, eating the food already in your kitchen and buying less at the store will help you reduce food waste, save money and eat fresher food. – – – Myth: Food banks cannot accept 'expired' food Many nonprofits accept food donations after the 'best by' date. In Utah, for example, Bountiful Food Pantry invites donations of food up to three years past the printed date. The pantry's website explains: 'Our army of volunteers goes through all food items and makes sure they're still safe and healthy to eat, and we don't distribute any food we wouldn't eat ourselves.' Of course, check with a nonprofit before you arrive with 'expired' goods – some may not accept them and some might be hamstrung by local laws. Broad Leib said about 20 states restrict the sale or donation of past-dated food. When laws are silent, she said, that also creates a barrier, 'because there's no one saying this is allowed.'
Toronto Sun
29-05-2025
- General
- Toronto Sun
5 myths about food expiration dates and best-by labels
Date labels are often unclear, inconsistent and, it's fair to say, downright bewildering Published May 29, 2025 • Last updated 5 minutes ago • 6 minute read Good luck making sense of the dates in your nearest yogurt aisle. Photo by Matt Brooks / TWP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Date labels. Expiration dates. Best-by dates. Whatever you call them, at some point, you've probably squinted at those tiny dot-matrix-printed numbers and wondered: 'Does this mean my cheese might kill me?' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account If so, you're not alone. Date labels are often unclear, inconsistent and, it's fair to say, downright bewildering. There's a lot to demystify. As you navigate the wilds of your fridge, cabinets and pantry, and, perhaps as you and your partner or roommates trade heated words over less-than-fresh orange juice that c'mon, guys, really seems fine, consider these myths about the little prophecies stamped on our food. – – – Myth: All food should be thrown away as soon as the printed date passes 'Many people interpret food dates to be about the safety of food,' said Dana Gunders, president of ReFED, a U.S. nonprofit dedicated to food waste reduction. So what happens after the printed date? If you wait long enough, most perishable goods will obviously spoil, while most shelf-stable goods will physically degrade, which could take a very long time. So, flavours and colours might fade. Old almonds, for example, won't be overrun with bacteria but will taste off as their oils break down. Acidic dairy products such as yogurt and sour cream are inhospitable to dangerous bacteria but may become more tart over time (you might also find obvious spoilage, like mold, after an open yogurt container has spent awhile in the fridge). Properly refrigerated pasteurized milk can be fine past its date, but will eventually develop off odours and flavours. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. So, in most cases, you can inspect, sniff and, where reasonable, taste food past its preordained shelf life to determine if it's still good enough for you. But … – – – Myth: You can always rely on your senses when assessing food past its date Some moist foods served straight from the fridge can host dangerous bacteria that can, over time, grow to infectious levels, even under refrigeration, even as the food still looks and smells fine. These foods are particularly risky during pregnancy, so Gunders suggests deference to dates on foods, such as deli meats, that pregnant people are told to avoid. Kathy Glass, who recently retired as associate director at the Food Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, said she respects 'use-by' dates and other storage guidance (like an ideal fridge temperature) on refrigerated products, particularly those designed to be eaten cold. 'Many manufacturers have researched spoilage versus safety to determine those dates,' she said. On those keep-cold products, she said the phrase 'use by' signals 'they've done their studies to demonstrate that if you would use it by that particular date, and you kept it at a good refrigeration temperature, it should be safe.' Food should be refrigerated between 35 and 40 degrees, she said. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It's not as if it's going to explode in your refrigerator on the 'use-by' date,' said Glass, whose work included testing pathogens' abilities to grow in various food products in conditions simulating consumer kitchens. But, she said, caution is warranted, especially for people with less robust immune systems. You can also pause the clock by freezing the food, or, if you're on the edge, minimize the risk by cooking, say, slices of turkey breast, to 165 degrees. Breakfast sandwich, anyone? Of course, you might also see 'use by' on products that don't require any special precautions. That brings us to our next myth … – – – Myth: Date labels are nationally standardized 'Use by,' 'best by,' 'expires on' or any of the other myriad phrases you might see stamped on your food don't have official definitions. The federal government requires a 'use-by' date only on infant formula (the date is the last point at which the manufacturer guarantees the nutritional content; nutrients eventually degrade). This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Absent broad federal regulation, a patchwork of state and local laws, some contradicting each other and sending good food to the trash, govern date labels on various foods. In Montana, for example, milk must bear a 'sell-by' date of 12 days post pasteurization, even though milk usually lasts longer. After that, stores can't legally sell it. Advocates want to eliminate consumer-facing 'sell by' dates and restrict manufacturers to 'best if used by' for quality and 'use by' for safety. Bills to codify this have floated around Congress for years, and a coalition of food companies created a voluntary standard in 2017. But plenty of manufacturers still use other phrases. Sometimes they have no choice. Because of the existing state laws, companies 'couldn't fully follow that voluntary standard without running afoul of state law,' said Emily Broad Leib, director of the Food Law and Policy Clinic at Harvard Law School. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Still, next year, a new California law simplifying consumer-facing date labels to the 'best if used by'/'use-by' binary goes into effect, and the Food and Drug Administration and Department of Agriculture recently concluded a public comment period on food dating. Broad Leib's legal clinic, ReFED and others believe the federal agencies could use their regulatory authority to streamline date labels. 'People are wasting money every day by throwing food away that they could be eating,' Broad Leib said. People should 'have the freedom to say, 'The date passed, but this still looks and smells fine.' … And for the small number of foods where there is actually a safety risk, not having these standards is also making people potentially take extra risk.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. – – – Myth: Most date labels are meaningless Companies determine shelf life in a number of ways, from rigorous original research to reliance on past product data or food science concepts, or even consumer complaints and educated guesses. Depending on how the company arrives at the date, it could be very conservative, with a lot of decent quality shelf life remaining, or you could notice the product declining quickly after the date. Interpret dates on shelf-stable foods as the last point at which the manufacturer guarantees quality. At Nature's Path Organic Foods, Linsey Herman, associate vice president of research and development, said accurate date labels are a priority for keeping customers happy. The breakfast and snack food company's employees conduct weekly blind taste tests on products stored in various conditions for various time periods. When enough people detect a notable quality slip, shelf life is established. While many factors affect how a food ages, Herman said ground seeds and nuts, whose healthier fats break down relatively quickly, often shrink shelf lives. Rancid fats can smell like paint or cardboard or have an otherwise unappetizing odor. A Nature's Path cereal with ground flaxseed, for example, has about half the shelf life of a grain-based flake cereal. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Once a 'best by' date passes, Herman urges consumers to use their judgment. 'Maybe you stored it in a cool, dark place so it's in great shape and it might have a long shelf life,' she said, noting that storage near heat sources like the stove can accelerate aging. But, she said, if you get a chemically whiff from those broken-down oils, 'I would not recommend eating it.' I know that off-putting smell from my own cabinet-aged granola bars. On the other hand, I recently had no qualms pouring corn kernels more than a year past their 'best by' date into my popcorn popper. My snack turned out great. Some dates may be more meaningful than others, but I'd argue it's worth paying attention to them to help nudge yourself toward eating what you have. Ultimately, eating the food already in your kitchen and buying less at the store will help you reduce food waste, save money and eat fresher food. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. – – – Myth: Food banks cannot accept 'expired' food Many nonprofits accept food donations after the 'best by' date. In Utah, for example, Bountiful Food Pantry invites donations of food up to three years past the printed date. The pantry's website explains: 'Our army of volunteers goes through all food items and makes sure they're still safe and healthy to eat, and we don't distribute any food we wouldn't eat ourselves.' Of course, check with a nonprofit before you arrive with 'expired' goods – some may not accept them and some might be hamstrung by local laws. Broad Leib said about 20 states restrict the sale or donation of past-dated food. When laws are silent, she said, that also creates a barrier, 'because there's no one saying this is allowed.' Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls Tennis NFL
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New Survey Reveals Lettuce Letdown: 60% Say Their Greens Spoil Too Soon--But Little Leaf Farms Has a Fresh Fix
This National Salad Month, Little Leaf Farms offers a no-wilt solution with a chance to win a year's supply of fresher, longer-lasting lettuce and a $2,500 grocery gift card DEVENS, Mass., May 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- You know that sad, slimy bag of lettuce shoved in the back of the fridge and eventually thrown in the trash? You're not alone. In a new national survey from Little Leaf Farms, the country's #1 brand of packaged lettuce sustainably grown through controlled environment agriculture, more than 60% of U.S. lettuce buyers admit their greens spoil before they can eat them, and nearly a quarter say this happens "often" or "almost every time." "Forgetfulness" (44%) and "how quickly lettuce goes bad" (36%) topped the list of reasons why leafy greens go uneaten. Still, people keep tossing lettuce into their carts, hoping this time will be different—even though a third of Americans admit they "like the idea of salad more than the reality of eating one." That's exactly the cycle Little Leaf Farms is out to break. This National Salad Month, Little Leaf Farms is inviting consumers to come clean on their bad lettuce habits—no judgment, just fresh starts – with its Lettuce Confessions campaign. Whether you've forgotten a head of lettuce in the back of the fridge or settled for soggy greens one too many times, Little Leaf Farms is here to help you turn over a new leaf, literally! Confess your lettuce sins, pledge to switch to fresher, longer-lasting Little Leaf Farms greens, and enter for a chance to win a year's supply of our super crisp lettuce and a $2,500 grocery gift card. Plus, for every lettuce confession submitted, Little Leaf Farms will donate $1 to ReFED, a nonprofit advancing solutions to food waste, up to $10,000. "For too long, sad, tasteless lettuce that's already halfway to wilted when you bring it home has been the norm - no wonder it ends up in the trash," said Jeannie Hannigan, Marketing Director at Little Leaf Farms. "Our survey showed 86% of Americans would be more likely to finish their lettuce if it stayed fresher longer, and that's exactly what Little Leaf Farms delivers: greens that stay fresh and crisp, and taste great." "In homes across the country, Americans waste more than 26 million tons of food each year at a cost of more than $151 billion—and nearly 40 percent is produce," says Dana Gunders, president of ReFED. "We're excited that Little Leaf Farms is driving attention to this problem and hope their campaign raises awareness of the small behavior changes that make a big difference in reducing wasted food—from proper storage to checking what's in your fridge before you go shopping." Little Leaf Farms lettuce is delivered to the grocery store in about 24 hours after harvest and is grown using captured rainwater, natural sunlight, and no chemical pesticides or herbicides. So whether you're prepping lunch with Crispy Baby Greens or tossing together a Crispy Caesar Salad Kit, Little Leaf Farms makes it easy and delicious to eat your greens. To share your lettuce confession, visit For more information, recipe inspiration, and retail availability, visit Survey conducted by Opinium research among a sample of 1,000 U.S. adults 18 or older. The survey was completed April 17-21, 2025. Nielsen NIQ Discover Pre-Packaged Salad Category 4, 13, 26 & 52 Weeks Ending 2/22/2025 Northeast xAOC About Little Leaf FarmsLittle Leaf Farms is on a mission to transform the way food is grown through peri-urban agricultural practices that are rebuilt for the modern world. Using advanced greenhouse technologies, Little Leaf Farms is growing fresh, sustainably farmed lettuce 365 days a year. Little Leaf Farms utilizes captured rainwater, natural sunlight that shines through high transmission glass, and solar-powered energy in their precise, soil-less hydroponic farming. The crispy, flavorful baby greens are harvested without ever touching human hands and are never treated with chemical pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. For more information, visit or @littleleaffarms. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Little Leaf Farms Sign in to access your portfolio
Forbes
28-03-2025
- General
- Forbes
We've Raised Awareness About Food Waste. It's Time For Action.
After preparing a meal, an eater makes compost from the food scraps. Over the years, the conversations we've been having about food waste have changed. At first, it was an effort to raise awareness that food waste was actually happening and worth addressing! And organizations across the food system have been very active in measuring the scale of food waste—because having that data is a crucial step toward solving these challenges. Right now, we're in a place where folks who are engaged in the food system probably know that both in the United States and internationally, about one-third of food goes uneaten. And if food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, just behind China and the United States. I think ReFED Executive Director Dana Gunders is right about a lot of things, of course, but I think she's especially spot-on when she says that we've built up a status quo in the food system where discussions about food waste must be a 'standard part of any sustainable food conversation.' At this point, all our discussions about food waste have to include a focus on empowering people to take action—and arming them with the resources to do so! There are more grassroots organizations, startups, and innovators focused on creative food waste solutions than ever before. There are truly no more excuses to ignore food waste! Food rescue organizations, such as Food Recovery Network on college campuses across the U.S. or Oz Harvest in Australia, are recovering surplus food and getting it to those in need. Interested? Here are 20 inspiring organizations doing this work worldwide. Rather than wasting surplus vegetables from farms or fresh cut remnants, Matriark transforms them into healthy, low-sodium vegetable products like pasta sauce and vegetable broth. Interested? These companies are turning would-be food waste into useful upcycled products. If you find you're constantly wasting the same things—coffee grounds, herb stems, a salad mix you forgot about—you can check out the book 'You Can Cook This! Turn the 30 Most Commonly Wasted Foods into 135 Delicious Plant-Based Meals.' Interested? These cookbooks are helping us take action starting with our next meal. Apps in countries around the world help connect us with food waste solutions, too: In France, Magic Fridge allows you to search and share recipes based on what ingredients you have on hand, and in India, Seva Kitchen crowd-sources food distribution by connecting people in real time. Interested? These apps are turning your phone into a food-waste-fighting powerhouse. For consumers like you and me, Mill is a company that develops food recyclers for our homes that compost food scraps. For producers, ColdHubs creates walk-in, 24/7 solar-powered cold stations to extend food shelf life and cut post-harvest losses. When we call our elected officials and encourage them to act on food waste, we can show them the Global Food Donation Policy Atlas, which analyzes policy recommendations in countries around the world to reduce food waste and tackle hunger. When we remind leaders in the private sector that reducing food waste is profitable, we can back up our statements with ReFED's Insights Engine, which offers deep dives into 40+ food waste reduction solutions and the impact they can have. It's not enough anymore just to build awareness about food waste without also giving people the tools they need to fight it. Fighting food waste is food system action. Fighting food waste is climate action. Fighting food waste builds a more nourished, just, equitable world! On April 1, Food Tank is co-hosting an evening event in collaboration with Compass Group, NYU Steinhardt, and Mill to celebrate Stop Food Waste Day in New York City. We'll convene food systems experts, local food-waste warriors, Broadway performers, youth spoken word poets, surprise celebrity guests, and more, all with a focus on celebrating the ways we can all take action. Speakers include (in alphabetical order): Jennifer Berg, NYU Steinhardt; Chris Ivens-Brown, Compass Group; Natasha Bernstein Bunzl, NYU Steinhardt; Andrew Fisher Jr., 10 Year-Old Youth Poet; Harrison Herz, NYU Steinhardt; Tony Hillery, Harlem Grown; Sam Kass, Investor, Chef, Policy Advisor; Amy Keister, Compass Group; Robert Lee, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine; Priyanka Naik, Celebrity Chef and Cookbook Author; Jennifer Noble, Broadway Actor; Prahlada Rastogi, 10 Year-Old Youth Poet; Merrill Schaefer, 13 Year-Old Youth Poet; Harry Tannenbaum, Mill; and more to be announced. Stop Food Waste Day, an international movement, is the largest single day of action in the fight against global food waste.
Washington Post
21-03-2025
- General
- Washington Post
The case for eating frozen fruits and vegetables
Glistening bunches of kale and containers of plump berries often beckon to grocery store shoppers seeking fresh, healthy ingredients. But experts say that equally nutritious and sometimes planet-friendlier options can be found a few aisles away — in the frozen food section. The climate case for frozen food is grounded in the idea that freezing leads to less waste along the supply chain, at stores and in homes. Americans threw out 73.9 million tons of food in 2023, or roughly the weight of more than 369,000 blue whales, according to a report from ReFED, U.S.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to ending food waste. That wasted food represented unnecessary use of resources, such as land, water, fertilizers, pesticides and energy. Its production, supply and disposal were associated with the emission of 230 million metric tons of greenhouse gases — equivalent to driving 54 million cars for a year. And the food that ended up in landfills accounted for 2.7 million metric tons of methane emissions, a greenhouse gas 80 times more potent in the short term than carbon dioxide. Freezing food and keeping it frozen may require more energy than when dealing with fresh ingredients, but studies of the environmental and climate impacts of frozen food suggest that in many cases keeping food out of the trash can be worth the trade-off. 'The freezer is your friend, whether you're freezing your food at home yourself or if you're buying frozen food,' said Kai Robertson, an independent food loss and waste expert. 'It does put a pause on that perishability — and saves you money as well.' Freezing food helps limit the waste that can happen at every step from farm to table — preventing mold and bacteria from spoiling it, and blemishes from developing in ways that get food rejected from grocery store displays. Freezing also reduces the pressure of sell-by or use-by dates that may prompt consumers to toss food before they get around to using it. About 50 percent of the uneaten food that ended up in the garbage in 2023 came from households, according to ReFED. While experts say people should aim to buy only what they know they're going to eat and compost as much as possible, using freezers is another way to keep food out of landfills. One of the main benefits of frozen food is that it can still be eaten months after purchase. While buying local foods, such as produce, is another way to extend the lifespan of ingredients because they can be fresher than items that have traveled further, that might only add a few extra days, said Dana Gunders, executive director of ReFED. Freezing food can also help with freshness, Gunders said. 'Overall, most frozen foods are frozen within hours of harvest,' she said. 'Fresh foods, on the other hand, are moved around and stored, so are typically several days older than their frozen counterparts by the time you get them home.' This means people often don't compromise on nutrition either, said Rebecca Riley, managing director of food and agriculture at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Vegetables, for instance, are frozen at their peak, which can help preserve vitamins and minerals, she said. 'They're very healthy,' Riley said. 'They're definitely just as good to use as fresh.' One analysis commissioned by a major European frozen food manufacturer found that most frozen items had an equal or lower carbon footprint that similar products using other preservation methods. The footprint of frozen items depends largely on the amount of resources that go into producing the food, whether the electricity needed to power freezers comes from fossil fuels or renewables, how long products are kept in freezers and the amount of food that is discarded, according to the study. But the study, which was independently reviewed, noted its findings suggest that when lower rates of waste for frozen foods are taken into account, these products can be the more climate-friendly option. 'When buying something frozen, shoppers should feel comfortable not worrying about the embedded energy, because the odds are higher that they're going to use and eat all of it,' which means less pollution created by wasted food decomposing in a landfill, said Robertson, who was one of the frozen food study's independent reviewers. Efforts are also underway to reduce the energy needed to process and store frozen food. A 2023 report found that raising the temperature at which food is frozen by 3 degrees Celsius could reduce food loss and cut carbon emissions by 17.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, equivalent to the amount of planet-warming gases released by 3.8 million cars each year. Meanwhile some companies are experimenting with lowering the freezing temperatures of their food products. For example, Unilever recently announced that it reworked its ice cream recipes to stay frozen at lower temperatures and planned to share the work with other ice cream manufacturers. The first step is to think about the foods you're regularly throwing out because they've spoiled, Robertson said. Those are items you should consider replacing with frozen products. For many people, produce is an obvious choice. Leafy greens, such as spinach or kale, fresh herbs and berries can spoil more quickly than other groceries. In general, frozen vegetables are 'a win on all fronts,' said Alison Mountford, founder and CEO of Ends+Stems, a recipe site dedicated to reducing food waste. Frozen food can also be helpful if you're pressed for time. 'It's much easier to grab a handful of frozen broccoli and throw it into a stir fry than it is to take fresh broccoli, trim it down, wash it, chop it up, make a mess,' Mountford said. If you're buying food that isn't frozen, you can extend its shelf-life by freezing it at home, Gunders said. Among her freezing suggestions: 'The freezer is a 'magic pause button' that can buy you extra time to actually eat the food before it spoils,' Gunders said. Freeze food in portions you'll want to use them in and make sure you store frozen products properly, Gunders said. Freezer burn is not a safety issue, but it can affect taste and texture, she said. After opening a package, seal it well and put it back into the freezer as quickly as possible. Of course, it's also worth keeping your frozen food out of the garbage. 'Shop your freezer,' Robertson said.
