Good day to you and what a lovely day it has been to you my fellows on this great community.
I’ve been sharing with you different posts as regards health, wealth and lots more.
This time around, I want to enlighten us on one very common scenario that happens around us and we don’t really take cognizance of.
This is the case of what we consume, the term #EXPIRATION and #BEST #BEFORE. What really is it with this term and how is it helpful for us to know more about this terms in our products.
Why do manufacturers put this dates on products, is it just to follow Norma or they use it to scare we consumers. Is it safe for us to consume products after the so called Expiration Dates or Best Before Dates.
These are the few things I would be talking about here, just relax and follow as I take you on this journey on Product Consumption Safety.
Do you know that there’s a great difference between these two terms, EXPIRY DATE and BEST BEFORE. What do they mean?
EXPIRY DATE
The Expiration date tells you that the product is no longer safe for consumption. It’ssafety is no longer guaranteed for you as a consumer.
Despite this, you might have consumed a product after the Expiration date and yet nothing happens to you, and you feel the expiry dates on products are lies.
What happen is this, the expiry date given by manufacturers are speculated dates of the safety of the products. When a product has been produced, it is worked upon and packaged to ensure it’ssafety and extend it’s shelf life.
By calculations and tests, there’s a limit to the shelf life of which after this period it is no longer safe for consumption. In some cases, the products might still be in good conditions, like in the case of some tea bags.
After the Expiration dates, the products start changing colour, grow some microbes and with all these, it’s not safe for consumers consumption. Only in few cases where the products extend beyond the calculated speculated expiry date.
In the case of Expiry date, the date is the last day for it’s consumption as it is no longer safe.
What Then Does Best Before Mean?
Many mistake Expiry Date and Best Before for the same thing. No, you’re wrong if you do so. Best Before refers to the date speculated that the product(s) is no longer in it’s good shape or form. The product here is no longer fresh, its freshness has been altered.
The product has reached the peak of it’s freshness in this case. It has lost its freshness, nutrients and texture.
This date deals majorly with the properties and characteristics of a product. In this case a consumer needs to use his/her sense organs to see the safety of consumption. The product might not be spoilt but could have changed in some features like in the case of food, it could have a change in aroma or taste or a change in its texture.
For Best Before, the manufacturer is telling the consumer that if the product is still in good form and safe to consume after this date, you can make use of it based on your sense organs, while in the case of Expiry Date, the manufacturer is communicating to his consumers that the product is not safe to consume at all after this date, unless otherwise seen to be safe.
This is the reason why products that have exceeded their best before dates can still be sold, provided its packaging and seal has not been altered which can cause contamination. But products that has exceeded it’s expiry date should not be sold as it poses threat to consumers.
The concept of Best Before is to minimize product wastage especially food wastage.
Best Before dates are chosen through sensory evaluation by the manufacturer. And most manufacturers mostly chose 20% earlier dates than the Best Before dates. That’s why it could still be safe to consume products after the Best Before Dates and you’re perfectly fine.
Using Best Before products may still be safe due to the what have explained above. What of the case of Expiry date.
The effect of using expired products ranges. Has some may not cause any effects on you while some may cause and it could be severe.
In food products, the effects could range from pains in the stomach to food poisoning. And this may last for days or weeks depending on how severe it could be.
I recommend that when your product has exceeded it’s expiry date, avoid it’s usage for your safety. Has you can’t predict which will pose harm on you and which won’t.
And in the case of Best Before, to avoid wastage, products still within the range of 10-20days after Best Before can still be checked for it’s safety, by checking for significant changes in them and growth of microbes on them.
Thanks for taking time to go through this, please kindly take time to upvote, comment and resteem.
I love you and desire that you prosper in health and wealth. Stay blessed.
Much love from yours loving @damdap.