This archive report was first published on 1 July 2019.
On a mission to clarify the often-confusing world of expiration dates, Scott Nash, an American environmentalist and owner of MOM's Organic Market, embarked on a year-long experiment. He consumed expired food, including yoghurt, tortillas, meats, and even moldy butter, to demonstrate the arbitrary nature of these dates.
Nash's journey began three years ago when he discovered a yoghurt that was six months past its expiration date. He mixed it with his smoothie and consumed it without any adverse effects. This experience sparked his curiosity about the way companies use expiration dates, which he believes are often vague and inconsistent.
In a blog post, Nash wrote, “They are very vague. What does ‘expire’ mean? There is ‘best by,’ there is ‘sell by,’ ‘best if used by.’ I just think that there is no consistency, and that it is creating confusion.”
During his experiment, Nash and his family ate a wide range of expired foods, including yoghurt that was seven, eight, or nine months past date, meats that were weeks past their expiration dates, and heavy cream that was a few months past the dates stamped on its label. At one point, he even used the butter that had become moldy after being left for months in the fridge.
Nash argues that some foods go bad and have to be thrown away, but there are better ways to tell than checking the expiration date. If something looks, smells, or tastes funny, you probably shouldn’t eat it, but most people suffer from something Nash calls “consumer anxiety disorder” which makes them discard perfectly good products because of an arbitrary date.
Published on July 1, 2019, Nash's experiment highlights the need for a revised Food Product Dating system that provides clarity and consistency in labeling.
