Jianbing, bubble tea, fruit salads, grilled skewers, fried skewers, takoyaki, fried tofu... Who doesn't love street food? That irresistible aroma wafting from the bustling stalls is simply irresistible.
But business is all about profit, so many manufacturers and merchants recklessly push the boundaries of legality. Ultimately, consumers bear the brunt: the food you eat might be a year or two past its expiration date.
I. CCTV Exposes: Production Dates Arbitrarily Altered, Expired Goods Instantly Become Fresh
On July 7th, a tipster informed the Huashang Daily that a cold storage facility in Xi'an was stockpiling large quantities of expired food, suspected of altering expiration dates for resale.
Investigators discovered over 60 boxes of near-expiry and expired goods—approximately 70,000 items with a wholesale value nearing ¥15,000. These included common street snacks like chicken cutlets and squid rings. Authorities subsequently sealed the cold storage facility for further investigation.
Image source: Huashang Daily
Previously, CCTV had exposed "unscrupulous businesses tampering with food production date labels," re-stamping expired products with new production dates using coding machines for resale—a practice posing significant health risks.
During this year's 3.15 Gala, CCTV further exposed "Burger King tampering with ingredient production date labels and cutting corners," selling expired and moldy buns to customers.
Clearly, the safety issue of expired food has affected everyone, and we must take this matter seriously.
II. How are food shelf life and storage periods determined?
"Disease enters through the mouth"—we must exercise extreme caution with what we consume. Yet supermarkets offer an overwhelming array of packaged goods, their labels often confusing. Worse, unscrupulous businesses can easily remove original production dates and laser-print new ones, making detection nearly impossible. What can we do?
The most crucial step is understanding food shelf life.
The shelf life of food refers to the period during which it maintains its quality under specified storage conditions. This means two conditions must be met: the storage conditions and the timeframe. Generally, storage conditions include room temperature, light-protected storage, refrigeration, or freezing. If food is stored improperly, its shelf life may be significantly shortened, compromising its safety.
Furthermore, different food categories have varying shelf lives. Perishable and oxidizable foods demand stricter shelf life requirements and typically have shorter durations. Pay special attention to the shelf life of items like meat, cooking oil, and eggs. Avoid consumption if they exhibit signs of sourness, rancidity, or spoilage.The best-before date indicates the optimal consumption period, while the shelf life denotes the absolute last date for consumption.
This means that when a best-before date passes, the food may have lost its peak flavor but isn't necessarily spoiled. Some items beyond this date remain safe to eat if their appearance, aroma, and taste remain unchanged. The shelf life, however, is non-negotiable—once exceeded, the food is no longer safe for consumption.Consumers must clearly identify whether the label states "best before date" or "shelf life."
III. The Dangers of Expired Food Should Not Be Underestimated
Some argue that if people survived on tree roots and bark during hardships in the past, why can't they eat expired food?
Once expired food spoils, it breeds large amounts of bacteria and pathogens.Expired food that evades regulatory scrutiny and quietly enters convenience stores, supermarkets, and markets may be purchased by unsuspecting consumers. At best, this can cause gastrointestinal discomfort; at worst, it can lead to food poisoning. For instance, spoiled meat is prone to contamination by Clostridium botulinum, which releases potent toxins that damage the nervous system and motor functions, causing respiratory paralysis and potentially fatal outcomes.
Moldy nuts, peanuts, and soybeans can breed aflatoxins, a Group 1 carcinogen. Aflatoxins are 60 times more toxic than arsenic and cause severe damage to liver tissue once ingested.
IV. Pay Special Attention to the Shelf Life of These 3 Food Categories
As evident, food shelf life is critically important, with three categories requiring particular vigilance: meat, eggs, and cooking oil. These staples of daily diets have short shelf lives and pose greater risks when expired.
During storage, meat products undergo natural decomposition of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, leading to spoilage.Improper storage during transportation may also foster bacterial growth. Many are unaware that eggs have a shelf life; prolonged storage causes them to liquefy and potentially breed pathogenic bacteria. When cooking oil becomes rancid, heating it produces choking smoke and releases toxic compounds.
In recent years, reports on food safety have become increasingly common. While the government strengthens oversight, we must also learn to discern quality ourselves. Exercise caution when purchasing food and avoid consuming expired or spoiled items to prevent harm to your health.
References:
[1] "CCTV Exposes: Production Dates Arbitrarily Altered, Expired Goods Instantly Become 'Fresh'!". Guangming Online. 2019-12-20
[2] "Expired Food = Harmful Food? How to Scientifically Interpret Expiration Dates". Family Medicine Journal. 2016-01-14
[3] "Must Expired Food Be Thrown Away?". Life Times. 2017-03-22