Tag Archive: expiry dates

1. Practicing Food Safety

   February 24, 2017 5:15 am Comments Off on Practicing Food Safety

   You want the best when it comes to the food you eat.  There’s no way you’d want something old, mouldy or funky smelling in your food. 

   

   It’s the same here at the food bank. 

   Food safety is extremely important.  Safety measures are taken into consideration before the food even makes it into the warehouse.  Our hardworking operations team ensures not to bring in food that may be hazardous to members of our community.  Items like this can include damaged items, foods with missing labels and nutritional products that have expired.

   Not only do we want everyone to meet their food needs in the community, we want them to enjoy their food safely.

   Recently Toronto Public Health released a guide on Food Safety in Food Banks and Community Organizations.  This guide makes it easy for all organizations in the food sector to maintain guidelines on food safety and handling. 

   

   Food Safety Measures

   As you may know, we prefer to take non-perishable food items from donations (canned goods, boxed items, etc.) to ensure we can get these items out to the public without safety issues.  But…

   Did you know…

   Even though we are grateful for amazing donations from the community, there are just some items that we CANNOT accept.  These items include:

   • Food products that are not identifiable or that have ingredients that are not identifiable (missing label or label written in a language other than English/French)
   • Partially consumed foods (open packaging)
   • Unpasteurized foods
   • Home preserves and canned items (jams, jellies, pickles etc.)
   • Meats, dairy and other high risk items that are not directly from a processor or store e.g. turkeys that have been in your freezer; you may assure us that that turkey has never been defrosted but because we don’t know that 100% we cannot accept it, sorry!

   These guidelines make sure that people using the food banks don’t get sick from foods they consume.

   

   Did you know…

   There is a difference between Best Before and Expiry Dates.  When it comes to packaged foods the dates can get a little confusing.  Here are some tips to tell the difference between dates.

   • A best before date is simply the promise of the manufacturer that the food in the package will be of highest quality. It is not an indication of food safety.
   • Many times a best before date is not necessary and mostly used to indicate when the quality of food will begin to decrease (a change in taste and texture).
   • The only items REQUIRED to have expiry dates are baby formulas, meal replacements, formulated liquid diets and nutritional supplements. These items must be thrown out past the expiry date as the should NOT be consumed. This is because the nutritional content cannot be guaranteed beyond the expiry date and the nutritional content is very important for babies, the sick and the elderly.
   • We will accept foods up to three months past their best before date because we know that they are safe. However, in order to protect our community members’ dignity we prefer to receive donations of food that have at least 3 months remaining before their best before date.

   

   Food Recalls

   You may have seen food recalls on the news, specifically the latest one about Baby Food.  These recalls affect the food bank and food bank clients. 

   How might a food be recalled?

   • Illness outbreak
   • Food tests identify a health risk
   • An inspection by CFIA detects a safety concern
   • A recall of the item in another country
   • The company initiates a recall
   • Other issues can arise such as food tampering

   Recalls are taken very seriously at the food bank.  These items are removed from our shelves and notices are sent out.  If these items have already made it into people’s homes, we alert them and contact Toronto Public Health.

   

   Ensuring public safety when it comes to food handling and distribution is one of our top priorities.  If you join us for a food sorting session, you will be trained on how to identify the safety of the food you’re sorting.  Remember: When in Doubt, Throw it Out!

    

   To learn more first hand and join us for a food sorting session, click here!

    

   Check out these handy guides on how to inspect YOUR food.

   
   

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2. 5 Things You May Not Know About Best Before Dates

   August 14, 2015 1:51 pm Comments Off on 5 Things You May Not Know About Best Before Dates

   Did you know that every year, the average single-family household in Toronto throws out around 275 kilos of food?  That means that across the city about 1 in 4 purchases end up in the garbage.

   One reason might be that you are throwing out food that has passed its “best before date”. But passed a best before date does not mean best to throw away.

   5 facts that might make you think twice the next time you’re cleaning out your fridge

   1) Best before dates and expiration dates are two very different things.

   A product’s expiration date indicates the last day that product can be safely consumed. The best before date tells the consumer the time period that the food is optimally fresh. It has nothing to do with the product’s safety.

   2) Non-perishable foods will display a best before date and not an expiration date.

   In fact foods like crackers or cereal aren’t required to put any date on their packaging, but often do voluntarily. After that date has passed they may become slightly stale, but won’t do you any harm.

   3) Perishable foods can often be consumed after the best before date.

   The food might begin to lose some of its flavour and nutritional value but that does not mean that the product is in any way unsafe.

   For example, an egg that is passed its best before date might be harder to poach as the yolk is more susceptible to breaking. But the egg is still fine and when scrambled up would taste as good as ever.

   4) When in doubt, throw it out.

   A lot of food is safe and edible after the best before date, but it’s important to check your food before you consume or donate it. If your food has changed colour or appearance, or has developed a bad smell, then it should be thrown out regardless of the expiration or best before date.

   Foods that contain pathogens such as dairy, chicken or ground beef should not be eaten after their bet before date.

   5) North York Harvest will accept donations that are passed their best before dates but NOT EXPIRED food.

   We accept and distribute food donations that are up to 3 months passed their best before dates with the exception of baby food. Before you donate please make sure that none of your donated food has expired, and that the packaging has not been opened or damaged.

   So next time you’re cleaning out the cupboards, think twice about what you’re tossing or donating. Your food donations make a big difference to family in need but always think of donating food that you would eat yourself.

   For more information on how to donate food to North York Harvest or to find out more about why we raise funds to purchase food click here.