Since the 1930s and 1940s dedicated food boards such as the IFT (advancing Science of food stuff) have envisioned that all substantial nutritional supplies be fresh and safe for the three stages of sale, use and/ or consumption.
Scientists, nutritionists and eatery focus groups simply want all consumers’ health and safety to be assured when purchasing a loose or packaged product. The prevention contamination foray has meant that the majority of ingredients and/ or meals shop-bought have to meet health guidelines and be sealed within salad containers, sandwich boxes, soup containers and microwavable resistant containers. Even independent bakeries and takeaway places have followed suit with the containments of cake boxes and takeaway and fast food packaging.
If one were to visit the local supermarket, all shelves would not only be crowded with plastics, boxes and bags and sacks, but also tins.
Despite the fact that all packs mentioned above hold differential foods and are manufactured with numerous material accustomed for many conditions of temperature, they all have to share one thing…a shelf life.
The shelf life is the recommended time harvesters and suppliers provide for how long an item should be stored and eaten. It is believed that if a food type is obtained for longer than its lifespan then it is vulnerable to dangerous bacterial growth and exposing harm towards customers. This has led to all perishables being itemised and digitally coded when shipped from the factory and stored in either convenience store, supermarket chain or any given food supplier.
Despite being introduced as advisory parallels to help maintain our health, the majority of shoppers dislike the enforced regulations by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. As the DEFRA want to be cautious they have governed that all foods have a shelf life, best before, use by, open date and a sell by or display until date on each packet. The overbearing mass of dates are catalogued with a suggested day, month and year (Figure 1). The buyer becomes confused with which date is best to follow.
The same dating systems are then met with problems. Best before is almost ignored nowadays as indications tell us that foods only lose optimum flavour and texture but are not harmful when out of date. The sell by has a major loop hole as the recommended storage time is mainly for the larger store for the assumption that all foods are stored correctly. This does not however mean the nutrients are past their enabled consumption when surpassing the date. Due to this stores and smaller markets still keep the supposing ‘out of date’ produce on the shelves.
These leniencies have almost contradicted the lessons regulated by the international CFIA and federally governed Food and Drug Administration, and thus made shelf life more of a hindrance than a help.
Figure 1
Image taken from www.geelongadvertiser.com.au
The worst problematic area that the shelf life hinders however is the length of time it is considered safe to use. As with non-food packaging such as cleaning chemicals and other cosmetics, pulsating amounts of complaints are targeted towards both the shop and supplier each month as it is believed that the shelf life is purposely short. An individual could pick up a bunch of fresh vegetables or baked goods and notice that all have to be perished by the end of that day or the following, and none that could even last one week to cater for a busy, working lifestyle.
Many customers consider the life as a marketing tool to force consumers in finishing the product quickly in order to purchase another soon after, thus spending more money. Others go as far to insinuate that chemicals are added to shorten the extracts.
All issues above have given a bad reputation towards the dating systems, but this could soon change (especially for the added chemicals argument).
The too shorter shelf life or faltered dates for more sales conundrums may be obsolete soon as researchers and Scientists based at the National University of Singapore or NUS have introduced eco packaged foods. In the market of known eco-alternative packaging such as plates, portion pots (Figure 2) and cutlery, mechanical engineers have created Chitosan composite film stored foods.
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Figure 2
16 oz Microwavable Casserole Oval Container
http://www.rrpackaging.co.uk/product/16-oz-microwavable-casserole-oval-container
By applying natural composite mixed with grapefruit seed extract;
‘It’s said that this food packaging material can slow down fungal growth, doubling the shelf-life of perishable food, such as bread’.
Tony Corbin, Packaging News
Researchers Professor Thian Eng San and PhD student Ms Tan Yi Min (see Figure 3) at the NUS sourced Chitosan from sea crustaceans and added it towards stored meals. They found that the reaction of the food was that of biocompability and non-toxic and to please all complainers of convenience shopping biodegradability and an altered shelf life.
Working functionally similar to foil packaging, the composite film on the foods effectively blocks incoming ultraviolet light in order to slow down degradation, oxidisation and photochemical deterioration.
Student Ms Tan considers that this will definitely extend sell by dates to longer durations when available in store and that the overall outcome will be both economic and environmental benefits.
Figure 3
Image taken from www.eatglobe.com
