Member-only story
Know when to fold ‘em
Best If Used By
The phrase applies on so many levels
When my sister living in another state died suddenly, I spent a month working on her home to prepare to settle her estate. The cupboard seemed full of so many products. I was familiar with some but not others. Because my sister lived alone no one knew much about her shopping and eating-at-home habits. When it came to her perishable food products, I started reading labels.
I recall labels in my younger days read simply “use by” and a date. Now they read “Best if used by.” So of course I turned to the internet to see what that means. That phrase seems a bit unclear to me.
“Best if used by” on food labels means that a product will be at its peak flavor level and quality up to the date indicated. It is not a safety date. Food may still be safe to consume after that date, but it may not have the best flavor quality.” Well, that clears that up! Right.
So, wading through, I used my own safety system. If a product was more than six months old, I discarded it. Her home is in a rural location, so I prepared as much as I could for a wildlife station she had set up for food leftovers and scraps. Birds got the rice, oats, crackers, and baked goods, and other animals got the outdated canned goods and freezer discards.
