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Scientists are rethinking the days consumers see in food packaging – and their research could help reduce not only food waste but the economic losses and environmental impacts associated with food waste.
“The average American wastes 1,000 pounds of food each year,” according to Auburn University researchers.
Part of the reason is that marketable dates are more conservative, the researchers said in a news release announcing their work to predict spoilage more accurately.
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The findings can help consumers make more informed decisions about food safety while reducing unnecessary waste throughout the supply chain.
“This study is more important than the discussion about meat volatility or shelf life,” Darin Detweiler, a food safety policy expert and professor at Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies, told Fox News Digital.
Auburn University researchers say sell-by dates don’t always accurately predict meat spoilage. (Stock)
“It’s an example of how data, microbiology and artificial intelligence can help transform food systems from managing failures after they happen to predicting and preventing failures before they happen,” he said. (Detweiler was not involved in the new study.)
The Auburn study focused on best-before dates, which are often used by retailers to indicate how long products should last on store shelves.
Discoloration does not mean that the meat is not safe to eat.
The sell-by date for meat is usually four days after packaging, the news release said.
“They’re based on when the beef will start to lose its bright pink color, rather than when it’s safe to eat.”
Discoloration does not mean the meat is unsafe to eat, however.
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“If a consumer sees that on the third day their meat is brown, and it’s close to the ‘sell by’ date, they may think it’s spoiled, but it’s actually just a deterioration in quality,” said Isabella Gafanha, an Auburn master’s student who participated in the study. “It’s still good to eat.”
Auburn researchers used the device to track changes in microbial communities in packages of ground beef over the course of 14 days. The goal was to correlate those changes with significant changes in meat quality and spoilage indicators.
The sell-by dates are based on the fact that the meat loses its pink color, which means it is not safe to eat, say scientists working to develop more accurate dates. (Stock)
Researchers monitored microbial activity in packages of ground beef over a two-week period, using a predictive approach to identify patterns that could indicate spoilage before it becomes apparent to consumers.
The microscopic activity of bacteria in a microbial community is complex.
In the end, however, the researchers “were able to find that the damage patterns can be predicted, showing that the concept can work,” the release said.
The researchers plan to continue their work to create more accurate sell-by dates while reducing the pounds of meat that is unnecessarily thrown away each year.
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The economic implications of the research are “enormous,” Detweiler said.
When meat is discarded, producers lose costs related to animal feed, transportation, processing, packaging and more. Retailers also lose when they are forced to remove unsold products from their shelves.
“If microbial modeling predictions allow shelf life to be safely extended even by a day or two, the incremental impact on the beef industry could represent hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue annually,” Detweiler said.
Reducing food waste will have a negative impact on the economy, the environment and society, according to food safety policy experts. (Stock)
“From a leadership perspective, this represents a rare opportunity where profitability and sustainability can be complementary rather than competitive,” he added.
This research can also benefit the environment in a big way, he said.
“Food waste is one of the biggest hidden environmental burdens in the food system,” said Detweiler.
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“Each kilogram of discarded beef represents wasted water, land, food, energy and transportation emissions. Beef production has one of the highest environmental footprints among food commodities.”
The domino effect of the Auburn study has the potential to help people facing food insecurity, Detweiler said.
“While extending shelf life alone will not solve hunger, reducing avoidable waste contributes to an efficient and responsible food system,” said Detweiler.
Americans waste an average of 1,000 pounds of food each year, due to incorrect sell-by dates, researchers say. (Stock)
Consumers may also benefit, he said, from reduced food costs if food producers and retailers can safely reduce waste-related losses.
To ensure that food safety is paramount and consumers are protected, companies must use this research and technology in addition to increasing profits, said Detweiler.
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“Longer shelf life still needs to be ensured through food safety science and regulatory oversight,” he said.
The researchers indicated that more work is needed before the prediction of spoilage modeling can be widely accepted in the meat industry, but they believe that the first results show the potential of the technology to improve food dating practices and reduce unnecessary waste.
