Written by Sarah Ondrish, a UNC dietetic intern currently at Carolina Meadows for her food service management rotation.
- It is estimated that up to 30-40% of food in the U.S. is never eaten. That’s about 220 pounds of food per year per person!
- Most of the uneaten food ends up in landfills, where it produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
- Food spoilage is one of the biggest reasons why food is thrown out—it doesn’t help that food dating labels can be confusing (see below for more info about dating labels)
Benefits of Reducing Food Waste
- Reduce methane emission & lower your carbon footprint
- Conserve energy & resources
- Save money
Food Safety: Product Dating
- Product dating involves stamping a date on a product’s package to help the store determine how long they can keep the product for sale and help the buyer know the time limit to buy or use the product at its best quality.
- 3 common product labels: “Use by,” “Sell by,” and “Best by/before.”
- Follow the “Use by” date if it is provided.
- If there is no date or just a “sell by” date, cook or freeze the product by the time included in the storage charts (see storage charts below).
| “Sell by” | “Use by” | “Best by/before” |
This date tells the store how long they can display the product for sale. It does not pertain to safety, but you should buy the product before this date passes.  | This date refers to the last date recommended to use the product while at its peak quality. This date does not pertain to safety.  | This date indicates when the product will have its best flavor or quality. It is not a safety or purchase date.  |
Food Safety: Safe Storage
Regardless of the date provided on the food packaging, food requiring refrigeration should always be handled properly and kept at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below in the refrigerator.
To see if a food item has gone bad, check to see if it has an off odor, flavor, or appearance, but when in doubt, throw it out!
Below are tables on how long you should store certain food items in your refrigerator or pantry.
Shelf Stable Food Storage Chart
Table adapted from Shelf-Stable Food Safety | Food Safety and Inspection Service (usda.gov) (click on this link for a more extensive list)
| Food Item | Storage on Shelf |
| Low-acid canned goods. Examples: canned meat & poultry, soups/stews (except tomato), spaghetti products, potatoes, corn, carrots, spinach, beans, beats, peas, pumpkin | 2-5 years |
| High-acid canned goods. Examples: juices, tomatoes, grapefruit, pineapple, apples & apple products, mixed fruit, peaches, pears, berries, pickles, sauerkraut, vinegar-based sauces | 12-18 months |
| Tuna and other seafood in pouches | 18 months |
| Meat or poultry in pouches | Use manufacturer’s recommendation on the package |
| Rice and dried pasta | 2 years |
Refrigerator Storage Chart
Table adapted from https://www.fda.gov/media/74435/download (click on this link for a more extensive list)
| Food Item | Refrigerator |
| Eggs | |
| Fresh eggs, in shell | 3-5 weeks |
| Hard cooked eggs | 1 week |
| Deli & Vacuum-Packed Products | |
| Store-prepared (or homemade) egg, chicken, tuna, ham, macaroni salads | 3-5 days |
| Store-cooked convenience meals | 3-4 days |
| Raw Hamburger, Ground & Stew Meat | |
| Hamburger, stew meats, ground turkey, pork, lamb | 1-2 days |
| Ham, Corned Beef | |
| Corned beef in pouch with pickling juices | 5-7 days |
| Ham, fully cooked, slices | 3-4 days |
| Hot Dogs & Lunch Meats | |
| Hot dogs, opened package | 1 week |
| Hot dogs, unopened package | 2 weeks |
| Lunch meats, opened package | 3-5 days |
| Lunch meats, unopened package | 2 weeks |
| Soups & Stews | |
| Vegetable or meat-added & mixtures | 3-4 days |
| Bacon & Sausage | |
| Bacon | 7 days |
| Sausage, from raw meat | 1-2 days |
| Sausage breakfast links, patties | 7 days |
| Fresh Meat (Beef, lamb, pork) | |
| Steaks, chops, roasts | 3-5 days |
| Meat Leftovers | |
| Cooked meat & meat dishes | 3-4 days |
| Poultry | |
| Fresh poultry, chicken or turkey | 1-2 days |
| Cooked poultry dishes | 3-4 days |
| Fish & Shellfish | |
| Fresh fish or shellfish | 1-2 days |
| Cooked fish | 3-4 days |
Reducing Waste While Still Being Safe
- Plan meals ahead—if you end up having some food leftover, plan on having your leftovers the next day instead of planning on making or buying another meal.
- Share a meal with someone.
- Keep the storage charts handy so you can quickly reference them!
Food Hoarding
This section written by Ana Lategan, Social Work Team Leader at Carolina Meadows.
Hoarding is described as the excessive accumulation of possessions due to a perceived need to save them. With regards to food, it can be very difficult for some people to throw out uneaten and unused grocery items.
How might you see this behavior manifested in our community?
- You might notice that your loved one, friend or neighbor is purchasing surplus quantities of just one item
- Or that their refrigerator is filled with CM Dining containers (especially: fruit cups, soups, desserts and pieces of bread) from several weeks ago; some even covered in mold
- Or that there is a collection of water/soda bottles or cans in the home
Food hoarding can be due to a variety of reasons including dementia, a traumatic life event, or other mental health condition. And it can lead to poisoning. So if you see something, say something! Please contact one of the Social Workers at Carolina Meadows.
References
https://www.rts.com/resources/guides/food-waste-america/
https://www.nrdc.org/food-waste
https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-wasted-food-home
http://albany.cce.cornell.edu/resources/food-product-dating
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/hoarding-disorder/what-is-hoarding-disorder
Pictures
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-food-packaging-use-by-date-92992368.html
https://www.supermarketnews.com/food-safety/use-labels-become-clearer-groceries