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18.09.2013 | 賞味期限

[Volume 8 Issue 9, #1789]
當你買嘢嘅時候, 尤其係飲食產品, 你會唔會每次都檢查咗個保存期限先呢?? 我記得應該係廿五年前先實施標明保存期限嘅法例, 自此我買親嘢之前都會好習慣睇個保存期.. 我每次都係會揀限期最遠嘅(常理啦係嘛??), 不過當然, 我都甚歡迎差不多要過期因而減價嘅貨品嘅, 哈哈!! 其實喺未有保存期限呢樣嘢之前, 我哋斷定某食品是否仲食得, 都不過係基於味道, 色澤或質地.. 有咗呢個更為科學嘅方式之後, 我其實頗好奇個限期有幾準確?? 有可能未過期之前就已經壞咗, 又有可能過咗期之後都仲係食得喎.. 咁你係唔係(盲目)跟足保存限期嘅指示呢?? 即係話只要尚未過期就照食無誤, 一旦過咗期就棄之不屑?? 我可以承認我係, 雖然偶爾有所猜疑.. 講真吖, 就好似我哋好多時候都選擇相信科學證據多過自己嘅本能判斷一樣.. 平常生活中嘅一件小事, 都可以帶出一個值得深思嘅課題吓?? :)
before you buy something especially food and beverage, do you always check on the expiry date first?? i remember labeling the expiry date was only regulated somewhere 25 years ago, and since then i do have a habit to look at the expiry date before buying anything.. i always choose products with the furthest expiry date, though at times i don't mind at all those near-expiry but with price reduced, haha!! anyway, before we have this expiry thing, we judged the condition of the food or beverage by their tastes, colors or textures.. but with this more "scientific" way of stating the expiry, i am curious about its accuracy (though i still use it as a guideline), because things could already be unconsumable before the expiry, or still good to consume after the expiry.. so, do you always follow strictly, or rather blindly?? that is, eat while still before and dump away after thing is expired?? i would say yes for my case despite sometimes my doubt, and come to think about it, it rather seems like most of the time we tend to choose to trust the scientific proofs rather than our own instinct judgements.. interesting food for thought from just a tiny little thing in our daily lives huh?? :)

75 comments:

  1. I read that it's just a guideline and that food does not necessarily turn bad on that date. I normally don't check the date but what's more important to me is that the can is in good condition.

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  2. Vanakum SK & HS, Those days bread sometimes go 'bad' before expiry but nowadays seldom happen. Could they have added more preservatives?

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    1. Good Day Bananaz.

      Could also be due to the weather kot? Coz last time was the roti man come riding in motorbike and sell mah. So in and out from hot weather...then the roti starts to "sweat" ...much easier to go bad gua.

      now most roti being sold in mini market . even in trasit also in a cool van.

      Hopefully no because they put in more preservative gua

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    2. oh yeah, i would actually agree with that, the longer they can be kept means the more preservatives were added in.. usually breads can only last like two days i supposed, especially under our warm and humid weather.. and true also lah, the condition also is an important factor, keep in the fridge sure can last long.. just toast them before eating.. last time in uni always do that..

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    3. Not the bread here! Two days...already spots appearing. Have to keep in fridge and toast before eating.

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    4. yeah, or maybe if you do not want to keep it in the fridge, turn on your aircond at home 24x7~~ :D

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  3. Vanakum SK & HS, Those days bread sometimes go 'bad' before expiry but nowadays seldom happen. Could they have added more preservatives?

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    1. Definitely tons of preservatives.

      Some brands even have their brand not turn moldy weeks after expiration date.

      I know coz I experience it.

      Forgot about some bread and weeks after its expiry, it still look good.

      Scary to think how much preservatives we put in our body.

      Die sure can turn into mummies without embalment like that. O.O

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    2. oh really?? Mak Glam has bought a load of bread that didn't perish at all after weeks?? ooh, brand yang mana?? i will want to stop buying that.. hehehe, turn into mummies without embalment because we have already been preserved with those preservatives (and wax) we have been consuming, it's long term!! :D

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  4. Oh-oh sorry what happened double comments? There was a case an elderly man died of food poisoning from drinking fresh milk. Autopsy report on the cause of death "died due to drinking fresh but expired human milk from his wife...o.O

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    1. You sure still got mil ah? Not yogurt already meh? Expired jor lor

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    2. hahaha, bananaz consumed too much YOGHURT from mango till he clicked twice to post the same comment?? hahaha.. LOL at Meow, so imaginative lah, nen-nen turned yoghurt~~ :D

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  5. Replies
    1. Many many years back, i do not check, but now i check liao... hehe...

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    2. how come you suddenly start to check the expiry date now? Kena food poisoning before?

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    3. The recent case of him sakit perut was due to food poisoning right?

      SK, jawab jawab. ;)

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    4. yeah, i also wonder if there was something that happened and make Sharon started to check the expiry dates..

      errr, my recent case of sakit perut definitely not because i bought something expired, but others bought and fed me with expired stuffs i do not know~~ :D

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  6. I've consumed food past its expiration date but I will not buy them if sold after it expire because that's just unethical for businesses to do it.

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    1. me too wont buy if its after expired. But if it's near expiry date but have offer and I feel like will be able to finish makan it then will buy lor. otherwise...jimat lo.

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    2. Same la.

      But if really near expiry, I only buy if there is a huge discount offered.

      Otherwise, cari newer ones lor.

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    3. yes, we don't sell expired stuff. Not right to do that. Agreed with Lina.

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    4. usually i don't consume once it's over the expiry date.. if buying then sure choose the one with the longest period, and near expiry ones unless it has massive discounts lah..

      yeah, the vendors should always check the expiry dates of the items they sell and remove the expired ones from the shelves immediately..

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  7. Oh , my chocs in the fridge.. normally expired already by the time I want to open them..but I still wallop... as long as no maggots.. in the fridge ma.. can makan, right? :)

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    1. Expired chocs? Wow!

      I would never have expired chocs coz all will be walloped in record time! LOL

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    2. Me same like Claire la. My fridge got chocs expired two years ago punya yet to eat. Sayang to throw leh Mahal punya chocolates. So keep lor. Like what Claire said. no maggots so hentam makan la...

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    3. Next tiem ah... you two got extra chocs you don't think you can eat, pass them over to me! LOL

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    4. Expired chocs! No problem shall see the effect after 4 hours. Nothing happens continue eating if lau sai then time to throw haha.

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    5. wah, you two aunties have so many expired chocolates in the fridge like Anay?? haiyoh, next time no need to let them expired lah, pass it to Lina or Ah Boy lah, sure we can finished them way before the expiry, hahaha!!

      and true to Bananaz's comment, best verified by your stomach whether it's still good to be consumed :D

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  8. yes, expiry date is of utmost importance to most people. My customers used to check it before they buy. But sometimes they overlooked it and when they found out later, they brought it back.

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    1. I will do that myself too but I won't mind the near expiry as long as it's still consumable.

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    2. But expired or near expiry chocolate is not tasty anymore.

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    3. It's good the customer bring back to the shop to exchange. Some will just keep and then tell people that the shop sells expired goods.

      Looks like have to ask the staffs to check the shelves often lo. Tedious. Sometimes can overlooks especially if the new stock put in front or on top of the old stock.

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    4. It is tedious but Meow, a business also have to show their integrity in checking and selling only good stuff, right?

      Wenn would agree with me.

      Customers are good to just return the stuff for replacement. They can actually not only badmouth about the shop but if "jahat" can immediately complain to consumer association, what...

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    5. Anyway, usually staff would re-arrange products. Put the new stock at the back and move old stock to the front. ;)

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    6. yes, it's rather tedious but we have to check. When we were too busy, we might forget but we always make sure to look at the expiry date before we sell. We can always return the expired stuff to the suppliers concern.

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    7. Even if we put the new stock in front, the customers are always smart to get those latest ones which are put at the back.

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    8. i will often check on the expiry dates before buying anything, and like what Wenn mentioned, i will dig out the new stock which are usually hidden at the back.. she will sure hate me if i go to her shop, haha!!

      and if i'm so unlucky to get an expired ones, i will either bring back or if it's just of small value, i'll just give up but will not go and talk bad about the shop :)

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  9. You bet! I seldom check the expiry dates for many items except certain edible items like potato chips and imported cookies & chocolate stuffs. Somehow I trust the local products and their expiry dates. You know lah, always got lelong at our food supermarkets are often imported stuffs.

    M&S always lelong cookies anytime. The sellers cannot ship back to the country of origins, so better lelong to save freight cost.

    Local brands will go straight back onto the lorry to be sent to the manufacturers who have to sell dirt cheap to their staff only. Anay always bought certain MLM stuffs through a friend at 60-70% OFF!!!!!!! Ha ha ha...

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    1. I also check the expiry date on adhoc basis only but Kaldip will always check the properly dates la.

      U know la sometimes aunty kiasu mah...see cheap the buy but lupa check the expiry date.

      Oooh no wonder la sometimes saw supermarket selling those choc at very cheap price. I never thought of the cost of shipping back to original country. Betul jugak. better save the cost and get back something instead lor. Better lelong as you said.

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    2. That's why I always keep a watchful eye over those imported stuff at the local supermarket so that near their expiry time, when the supermarket starts selling them dirt cheap, I can borong ALL! HAHAHA

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    3. actually there shouldn't be a big issue if we don't check on the expiry dates, because the shop will have people checking them on a daily basis i guess?? else, where would they have that "reduced to clear" section setting up at one corner?? of course, it's still better to always check the expiry dates for some items especially bread and dairy products, they have shorted shelf lives and perished more easily..

      haiyoh, this pussycat is really blur!! if things are selling at price way cheaper, then the first thing i suspect would be that they are near expiry, that is why i always check the date for these discounted items.. make sure i can finish it before the expiry before i buy.. this Ah Boy very uncle when it comes to grocery shopping wokay?? :D

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  10. After having sat in many meetings with many manufacturers in pharmaceutical and milk industry, I realised that we should not be so alarmed by the expiry dates! They just had to comply with their local ministry guidelines even though the actual expiry dates could be many more months later or perhaps years too, subject to the storage temperature at our homes. If we keep vitamins, medicines or supplements in the fridge, they can sometimes last for a very long time after their expiry. I am not a genius to blab about these topics but it's sheer common sense!

    In our hot climate country with high humidity level, I think our edible items tend to expire faster than the overseas 4 season-countries where their air is so dry that the food seldom have maggots and fungal growths.

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    1. yea i agree with you. Sometimes can still eat. If you see properly some are labeled as Best Before Date instead of expiry date. Which means even after the best before date we can still makan the stuffs but must see whether it's spoilt or not la.

      As for medicine, i tend to stick to the expiry date. Dont wanna take the risk

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    2. Grandma Anay adalah sangat betul dan tepat dalam ceritanya yang panjang leabr ini.

      Saya setuju dengan nenek Anay yang bijaksana.

      :)

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    3. Walau-eh! .... My lost Grandma name has bounced back to life!! Niak! Niak! Nek! nek! Nek!...

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    4. Yes, I fully agreed with TM. I like to keep some items in the fridge and I don't mind consuming them even though they have reached their expiry dates.

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    5. Anay yang bijaksana always gives very informative insights into things happening around us from his own experience, bravo!! this should be shared out to other readers.. the storage condition is the main factor i would agree with that, especially with our humid and warm weather, things get rotten more easily.. but medicines, dairy products sure better not consume after the expiry dei~~

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  11. These days I have changed my paranoid mind when my fresh fruits have started to rot. I still dare to eat them after learning so much about enzyme values from rotten vegetables and fruits. Thousands of years ago, the Chinese or rather Asian folks have smartly been making fermented soya and bean products or pickled vegetables due their coming winters and no refrigeration facilities. They have survived alright and healthily with no fuss or complications. Suddenly some modern day Western scientists warned that those fermented and pickled stuffs could be harmful to our healths and toxic blah blah blah...

    In later years, some better nerds discovered the values of enzymes and started encouraging the humans to eat these extremely healthy food that excrete new anti oxidants through the fermentation process! Now they pointed out that we could easily buy all these goodies on the shelves which were made by the West & East Asians!!! KNN they took many centuries to wake up and catch up with our smart diet and healthy eating. Suddenly the fermented food factories and Kim Chi industry have been busy increasing their exports.

    The moral of this is to close your eyes on the expiry sometimes on certain food.

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    1. Thousand years ago they pickle those vegetables and salted fish with natural ingredients leh.

      Now all pickled using chemical stuffs. even the cuka already chemically made ones. So more danger lor as compared to the old days.

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    2. I don't mind makan bruised fruits!

      Actually, kedekut Lina will keep an eye on those cheap, cheap fruits on sale. Some people don't like to eat banana with dark spots. But that's the best one because it is so sweet. Has anti-cancer properties too! Wait till cheap sale, can get to buy Dole pisang at a fraction of the original price. Lina LIKE! :P

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    3. Wakakakaka... Kedekut Lina will get richer than others!

      Sometimes I pity the bruised fruits cos Anay went to picit them to see if ripened or not.

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    4. err, expiry dates for fruits?? that actually doesn't make any sense right?? for that, i think trusting our eyes on the condition of the fruits would be better.. a little bruise is fine, can just cut away that portion and the fruit is still nice to eat dei..

      but enzymes?? errr, only good if it's stored in good condition else they could be bad and affecting our digestion system if the environment that cultures them isn't right.. you get what i mean?? :p

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  12. I always check...and if it is BEST BEFORE and going cheap, I would buy. Otherwise, no!

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    1. yeah, i actually do not mind at all those welcome near expiry but at great discounts.. haha!! :D

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  13. Yes....some like "BEST BEForE" means still can eat even if after the date But have to sendiri pandai pandai smell and see la.

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  14. 曾經睇過一個資訊節目講解,其實食品上嘅保存期限,只不過喺一個平均數據。

    查實冇一個確定日期,保存期限只不過供消費者參考,同埋保障食品供應商。消費者始終要自行判決食品嘅品質同保鮮程度。

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    1. 贊成!! 保存期限其實應該係供消費者一個參考, 最終都係睇個消費者要唔要食啫~~

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  15. 大多数都会跟着賞味期限走,但也有吃过过期1,2天的食物:P

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    1. 如果過期了就不會碰了, 不過通常都是還沒有過期就已經吃光~~ :D

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  16. Good evening SK ah boy and guys! Today I am super late, haha xD
    No Internet connection during the day, so can only surf the net now >.<

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    1. Oh, I can be very particular when it comes to expiry date of food especially.
      I will follow the date, though certain food looks ok from the outside, smells ok too, but if it's reach the expiry date, I will just throw it away.

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    2. And ever since I have Aden, I pay even more attention to expiry date. We adults can somehow tolerate with those food if expired, but for babies/toddlers, never take things for granted... It's always better to be safe than sorry right?

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    3. Actually most of the things also got expiry dates la right?
      But for cosmetic or skin care products for example, most of the times I will still continue to use even if it's expired (of course depends on how long has it expired la, and also will check if smells weird etc).
      At least these are used externally.

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    4. Anyway, I do wonder how manufacturers set the so called expiry dates... And are those dates really that accurate and reliable?

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    5. yeah, i think i am like you.. the expiry dates though is just a guideline, but i will never touch on expired things (though most of the time already wallop all before it expires, haha!!).. especially with kids, i think you better be more alert because they are sure more sensitive and more fragile to all the expired food..

      hahaha!! cosmetic also got expiry dates, yes!! even shampoo and shower gel.. for those i don't care lah, expired already still use because they are all chemicals only wat~~ :D

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  17. I don't really trust the expiry date, some stated a few years later, but the food could have gone bad much earlier, so I would judge by how long I have bought the food.

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    1. those that stated a few years later sure has added lots of preservatives, haha!! actually the condition food are stored is also a main factor, especially under our warm and humid weather, sure perished faster.. so, get the expiry date as a guideline but we also judge by what we see.. :)

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  18. yeah, i also kind of think it's just a guideline because the decision still lies on whether we want to proceed to consume or ditch that away.. but they always say "BEST BEFORE", so meaning a couple of days after that date, it's still GOOD then only turn BAD or WORSE and WORST right?? haha~~

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  19. I always check the expiry date especially for items on offer! :)

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    1. haha, same here!! the first thing that comes in my mind on discounted items is "near expiry"~~ :p

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  20. I will check at the Expiry Date when I buy food from hypermarket, but I don't finish off those expired product in my fridge. I am very stingy person too, so I will not waste food or money if I can.

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    1. yeah, i think i am quite strict on the expiry date.. i will always check the dates, and once it hits the expiry date i will not touch the food but straight away dump it way.. better not take the risk yeah??

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