Food expiration dates don’t mean what you think - Carolyn Beans

Prevodilac: Una Kavazović Lektor: Milenka Okuka

How much of the food in your fridge will you toss before it reaches the table?

Koliko hrane u frižideru ćete baciti pre nego što uopšte dođe do vašeg stola?

Hamburger buns from last summer’s picnic? Milk past its sell-by date?

Zemičke sa prošlogodišnjeg piknika? Mleko kom je istekao rok?

Carrots that lost their crunch?

Šargarepe koje više nisu sveže?

Countries around the world waste huge amounts of food every year,

Zemlje širom sveta traće ogromne količine hrane svake godine,

and the United States is one of the worst offenders.

a SAD su jedan od najgorih prestupnika.

37% of US food waste comes from individual households.

37% bačene hrane u SAD-u dolazi iz pojedinačnih domaćinstava.

And roughly 20% of those food items are tossed because consumers aren’t sure

A otprilike 20% te hrane je bačeno jer potrošači nisu sigurni

how to interpret the dates they’re labeled with.

kako da protumače datume kojima je hrana obeležena.

But most of those groceries are still perfectly safe to eat.

Međutim, većina ovih namirnica je potpuno sigurna za konzumiranje.

So if the dates on our food don’t tell us that something’s gone bad,

Te ako nam datumi na našoj hrani ne kažu da se nešto pokvarilo,

what do they tell us?

šta nam oni to govore?

Before the 20th century,

Pre 20. veka,

the path between where food was produced and where it was eaten

put od mesta proizvodnje hrane do mesta gde je konzumirana

was much more direct,

je bio mnogo direktniji,

and most people knew how to assess freshness using sight, smell, and touch.

i većina ljudi je znala kako da prepozna svežinu pomoću vida, mirisa i dodira.

But when supermarkets began stocking processed foods,

Ali kada su supermarketi počeli da skladište prerađenu hranu,

product ages became harder to gauge.

postalo je teže proceniti starost hrane.

In the US, grocers used packaging codes

U SAD-u, trgovci su koristili kodove na pakovanju

to track how long food had been on the shelves,

da bi pratili koliko je dugo hrana bila na policama,

and in the 1970s, consumers demanded in on that info.

a tokom sedamdesetih, potrošači su zahtevali uvid u te podatke.

Many supermarkets adopted a system still in place today called open dating,

Mnogi supermarketi su usvojili sistem otvorenog datiranja koji još uvek važi,

where food manufacturers or retailers labeled products with dates

gde su proizvođači hrane ili trgovci obeležavali proizvode datumima

indicating optimum freshness.

koji upućuju na optimalnu svežinu.

This vague metric had nothing to do with expiration dates or food safety.

Ova nejasna metrika nije bila vezana za datum isteka ili bezbednost hrane.

In fact, it’s rarely decided with any scientific backing,

Zapravo, retko je određena pomoću bilo kakve naučne potpore,

and there are usually no rules around what dates to use.

i obično nema pravila vezanih za to koje datume koristiti.

So most manufacturers and retailers are motivated to set these dates early,

Većina proizvođača i trgovaca je motivisana da postavi ove datume rano,

ensuring customers will taste their food at its best and come back for more.

osiguravajući da će kupci okusiti hranu dok je najbolja i vratiti se po još.

This means many foods are safe to eat far beyond their labeled dates.

To znači da je dosta hrane sigurno za jelo dugo nakon obeleženog datuma.

Old cookies, pasta, and other shelf-stable groceries might taste stale,

Stari keks, testenina, i druge namirnice sa polica mogu imati bajat ukus,

but they aren’t a health risk.

ali nisu rizične po zdravlje.

Canned foods can stay safe for years,

Konzervirana hrana ostaje dobra godinama,

so long as they don't show signs of bulging or rusting.

dokle god ne pokazuje znake naduvavanja ili rđanja.

Low freezer temperatures keep bacteria that cause food poisoning in check,

Niske temperature zamrzivača regulišu bakterije koje uzrokuju trovanje hranom,

preserving properly stored frozen dinners indefinitely.

čuvajući pravilno skladištene zamrznute večere neograničeno.

Refrigerated eggs are good for up to five weeks,

Jaja iz frižidera su dobra do pet nedelja,

and if they spoil, your nose will let you know.

a vaš će vam nos dati do znanja ukoliko se pokvare.

And you can always spot spoiled produce by off odors, slimy surfaces, and mold.

Uvek možete uočiti pokvarene proizvode po čudnom mirisu, sluzavoj teksturi i buđi.

Of course, there are some cases where you’re better safe than sorry.

Naravno, postoje slučajevi gde je bolje sprečiti nego lečiti.

The USDA recommends eating or freezing meat within days of purchase.

Ministarstvo poljoprivrede savetuje da se meso jede ili zamrzne brzo nakon kupovine.

Beyond their printed dates,

Nakon obeleženih datuma,

ready-to-eat salads, deli meats, and unpasteurized cheeses

gotove salate, hladni naresci i nepasterizovani sirevi

are more likely to carry pathogenic bacteria

mogu vrlo verovatno nositi patogene bakterije

that can slip past a smell or taste test.

koje mogu promaći proveri mirisa i ukusa.

And the dates on infant formula are regulated to indicate safety.

A datumi na formuli za bebe su regulisani da ukažu na bezbednost.

But while some of these labels work as intended, the vast majority don’t.

Ali dok neke od ovih oznaka funkcionišu kao što je namenjeno, većina to ne čini.

In a 2019 survey of over 1,000 Americans,

U anketi sa preko 1 000 Amerikanaca 2019,

more than 70% said they use date labels to decide if food is still edible,

više od 70% kaže da koriste naznačene datume da utvrde je li hrana jestiva,

and nearly 60% said they’d toss any food past those dates.

a skoro 60% kaže da bi bacili bilo koju hranu koja probija te datume.

Restaurants and grocers often do the same.

Restorani i trgovine često rade to isto.

To avoid all this waste, many experts advocate for laws

Kako bi izbegli sav ovaj otpad, mnogi eksperti se zalažu za zakone

to require that date labels use one of two standardized phrases:

koji zahtevaju da obeleženi datumi koriste jednu od dve standardizovane fraze:

“Best if used by,” to indicate freshness, or “Use by” to indicate safety.

„Najbolje koristiti do” da označe svežinu, ili „Koristiti do” da označe bezbednost.

This solution isn't perfect,

Ovo rešenje nije savršeno,

but some US researchers estimate that setting these standards at a federal level

ali neki američki istraživači procenjuju da ovi standardi na federalnom nivou

could prevent roughly 398,000 tons of food waste annually.

mogu sprečiti oko 398 000 tona bačene hrane godišnje.

Grocers could also try removing date labels on produce,

Trgovci mogu takođe pokušati skloniti naznačene datume na proizvodima,

as several UK supermarket chains have done

kao što je to učinilo nekoliko britanskih lanaca trgovina

to encourage consumers to use their own judgement.

kako bi podstakli potrošače da sami procene situaciju.

Many experts also advocate for policies incentivizing grocers and restaurants

Mnogi eksperti se zalažu i za programe podsticanja trgovina i restorana

to donate unsold food.

da doniraju neprodatu hranu.

Currently, confusion around dates has led at least 20 US states

Trenutno, konfuzija zbog datuma je dovela do toga da njmanje 20 američkih država

to restrict donating food past its labeled date,

ograniči doniranje hrane kojoj je prošao naznačeni rok,

even though the federal government actually protects such donations.

iako federalna vlast zapravo štiti takve donacije.

Countries like France go even further,

Zemlje poput Francuske idu još dalje,

requiring that many supermarkets donate unsold food.

zahtevajući da mnogi supermarketi doniraju neprodatu hranu.

Regardless of what your government decides,

Nezavisno od toga šta vaša vlada odluči,

the best way to prevent food waste is to eat what you buy!

najbolji način da se spreči bacanje hrane je da pojedete ono što kupite!

And don’t forget that your eyes, nose, and tongue

I ne zaboravite da vaše oči, nos i jezik

are usually all you need to decide if food is fit for consumption

često mogu biti sve što vam je potrebno da odlučite da li je hrana dobra za jelo

or the compost bin.

ili spremna za kantu za smeće.