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

翻译人员: Yip Yan Yeung 校对人员: Jacky He

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

你冰箱里有多少食物 会在上桌之前被你倒掉？

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

去年夏天野餐的汉堡面包？ 过了建议销售日期的牛奶？

Carrots that lost their crunch?

变软的胡萝卜？

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

世界各地的国家 每年都要浪费大量食物，

and the United States is one of the worst offenders.

而美国是最严重的地区之一。

37% of US food waste comes from individual households.

美国的食物浪费中有 37% 来自于独户家庭。

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

其中大约有 20% 的食物 是由于消费者不确定

how to interpret the dates they’re labeled with.

如何理解标签上的日期而被丢弃。

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

但大多数食品依旧可以安全食用。

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

如果食物上的日期 不代表着有什么东西变质了，

what do they tell us?

那它说明什么呢？

Before the 20th century,

20 世纪以前，

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

食物的生产地和食用地之间

was much more direct,

更直接地相连。

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

很多人都知道通过视觉、 嗅觉、触觉判断新鲜程度。

But when supermarkets began stocking processed foods,

但当超市开始进货加工食品时，

product ages became harder to gauge.

商品的存放时间就比较难判断了。

In the US, grocers used packaging codes

在美国，超市员工会根据包装代码

to track how long food had been on the shelves,

追踪食品在货架上放了多久，

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

在 1970 年代， 消费者很依赖这类信息。

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

如今很多超市沿用了 一条名为保鲜时限的规则，

where food manufacturers or retailers labeled products with dates

食品生产商或零售商 会在商品上标注

indicating optimum freshness.

最佳新鲜度的日期。

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

这条模糊的标准与 过期日期或食品安全毫无关联。

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

其实它的制定 基本没有任何科学依据，

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

也没有任何规定关于 标注哪些日期。

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

很多生产商和零售商 都倾向于把这个日期写得早一些，

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

这样可以确保消费者享用 新鲜的食物，不断回购。

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

这意味着很多食物 在标注期限后还是能安全食用的。

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

放了一段时间的曲奇、意大利面 和别的耐放食物吃起来也许不新鲜，

but they aren’t a health risk.

但它们没有什么健康风险。

Canned foods can stay safe for years,

罐头食物可以放上好几年，

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

只要没有胀瓶或生锈的迹象就可以。

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

冰箱的低温可以抑制 造成食物中毒的细菌，

preserving properly stored frozen dinners indefinitely.

无限期地保存 贮藏得当的冷冻餐食。

Refrigerated eggs are good for up to five weeks,

冷藏蛋可以保存长达五周，

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

如果坏了，你会闻到味道的。

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

通过异味、黏糊糊的表面和霉菌， 你也能发现变质的食物。

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

当然，还是有些情况 保守些较好。

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

美国农业部（USDA）建议 几天内食用或冷冻购买的肉类。

Beyond their printed dates,

过了标注期限，

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

即食沙拉、熟食肉类和 未经巴氏杀菌的芝士

are more likely to carry pathogenic bacteria

很有可能会携带致病菌，

that can slip past a smell or taste test.

单凭气味或味道检测不出。

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

婴儿配方奶粉上的日期 安全起见会受到监管。

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

虽然有些标签达到了效果， 大部分标签并没有。

In a 2019 survey of over 1,000 Americans,

在 2019 年超过 1000 名 美国受访者的调查中，

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

超过 70% 声称他们根据 日期判断食物是否还能食用，

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

近 60% 表明只要过了保质期， 无论是什么都会扔掉。

Restaurants and grocers often do the same.

餐厅和超市通常也会这么做。

To avoid all this waste, many experts advocate for laws

为了避免此类浪费， 许多专家呼吁制定法律，

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

要求日期标签使用 以下两条标准化语句之一：

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

“最佳使用日期”，表示新鲜程度， “使用日期”，表示安全。

This solution isn't perfect,

这个方案不是完美的，

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

但有些美国研究者估计 在国家层面制定这些规范

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

每年大约可以避免 398,000 吨食物被浪费。

Grocers could also try removing date labels on produce,

超市也可以在商品上 去除日期标签，

as several UK supermarket chains have done

像多个英国连锁超市品牌 所做的那样，

to encourage consumers to use their own judgement.

鼓励消费者自行判断。

Many experts also advocate for policies incentivizing grocers and restaurants

很多专家呼吁制定政策 鼓励超市和餐厅

to donate unsold food.

捐赠未售食物。

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

如今，对日期的混乱理解 导致美国至少有 20 个州

to restrict donating food past its labeled date,

限制捐赠超过标注期限的食物，

even though the federal government actually protects such donations.

虽然联邦政府其实 是鼓励这类捐赠的。

Countries like France go even further,

像法国这样的国家更进一步，

requiring that many supermarkets donate unsold food.

要求许多超市捐赠未售食品。

Regardless of what your government decides,

无论你的政府怎么选，

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

避免食物浪费的最佳方式 就是买什么吃什么。

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

别忘了，你的眼睛、鼻子和舌头

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

一般足够用来判断 这个食物该进你的肚子

or the compost bin.

还是厨余垃圾桶。