Experts Warn Ignoring ‘Use-By’ Dates on Food Could Make You Sick
Cash-strapped consumers are turning to a rather dangerous way to
stretch their food dollars — they’re ignoring expiration dates
and keeping leftovers in the fridge for longer periods of time.
In a recent survey, the Food Standards Agency in the UK found
that one-third of respondents said that rather than throwing
something out once it’s expired, they rely on the look and smell
of the food to gauge how safe it is to eat. And that can be
risky. “With most of us seeing our weekly shopping bills
increase over the last few years, we are all looking for ways to
get the most out of our shopping budget,” said Bob Martin, a
food safety expert with the FSA, but he warns, “Bugs like E.coli
and Salmonella don’t cause food to smell off, even when they may
have grown to dangerous levels. So food could look and smell
fine but still be harmful.” Andrew Wilson of the British
Dietetic Association concurred and added, “A bout of food
poisoning is not only unpleasa