Case Study: Food Expiration Dates

Case Study: Food Expiration Dates If the best before date stamped on your milk carton says January 1, 2011, does that mean its not safe to drink it anymore on January 2? How long can raw meat last inside the fridge before it goes bad? Is there a difference between Use by, Best before, Sell by, and all the other date labels? Questions like these continue to boggle many Filipino homemakers today. With the constant struggle to stretch every peso for their family, throwing away unconsumed food just because a date says so is something that isnt fun to do at all. What do these dates really mean and should they be followed with utmost strictness? Food Product Dating Placing dates on food products is a practice being followed by the food industry to let the retail store know how long a product for sale should be put on display. Food product dating also helps consumers like us determine until when we can buy or use the product at its best quality, provided it has been properly stored. Do note that these dates are not to be confused as a safety date, as there are many factors that determine food safety. There are basically two types of food product dating: closed or coded dating and open dating. Closed or coded dating may be seen on shelf-stable products like canned goods and boxes of food. Coded dates can be in MMDDYY format, while some manufacturers use the Julian calendar wherein January would be 001 to 0031 (1st to the 31st day of the year) and December would be 334 to 365 (334th to the 365th day of the year). These are packing numbers meant to be used by the food manufacturers to track production. The dates that most consumers see on the grocery shelves, on the other hand, like those stamped on packed meat, eggs and dairy products, is called open dating. This uses the standard calendar date format such as date month year or dd/mm/yy. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Regulation No. 001 Series of 1982 (Subject: Guidelines for Open-Date Marking of Prepackaged Foods), open date markings should be indicated on food packages using indelible ink or embossed on cans or any other acceptable manner. The same guidelines also specify that the date marking should appear in a conspicuous place such as in the front panel of the label or on top of packages like box, bottles or cans. Putting open-date markings on packaged food products is routinely done by food producers and manufacturers, but not all of them are required to do so. According to the BFAD Memorandum Circular No. 6 s. 1993 (Subject: Monitoring of Food Products Requiring an Open Date Marking), the food products that are required to indicate their best before date are the following: Liquid Milk Products which include filled, recombined or reconstituted evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and UHT sterilized milk. Whole Milk Powder Dried Dairy Milk Powder Filled Milk Powder Skimmed Milk Powder Bakery Products (those sold in supermarkets, not in bakeries) which include loaf bread and buns Infant Food and Infant Formula Vitamin C-enriched liquid fruit drinks because after some time, vitamin C content may not be as much as what the label declares. According to FDA Regulation No. 001-D s. 1982 (Subject: Guidelines for the Open-date marking of Vitamin C enriched liquid fruit drinks), before its best before date, these fruit drinks should at any time contain 80% of the label claim of Vitamin C, but not lower than 30 mg/250 mg sample. The memorandum also mentions the directive that requires retailers to remove from their sales counters all products above that do not bear the required open date markings. The open dates are based on the average shelf life of the food item being packed before it loses its optimal quality or nutritional content. This doesnt mean that after the date you cannot consume the products anymore, it simply means that the quality of food is no longer assured. Once the date passes, food products should still be safe for consumption, as long as its handled and stored properly (i.e. kept at 40 degrees F or below). You may continue to consume food past its best before date up to a certain extent, depending on the recommended storage times that will be discussed further down this article. Open Date terminology Locally, the Bureau of Food and Drugs (which was later renamed Food and Drug Administration or FDA in August 2009), enforces guidelines that cover open-date marking and labeling of packaged food. The FDA defines the different types of open date terminology as the following: Consume Before Date also known as Use by date or Expiry date. This is the date which gives you the last day of the products estimated shelf life. This is only guaranteed if certain storage conditions are met, of course, such as storage temperature and handling. Beyond this date, the food product in not considered marketable anymore or is expired and must be discarded. The consume before date must be indicated in labels of packed fresh food products like fruit juices, chocolate drinks, fresh milk, butter, yogurt, cream, cheese, cured or frozen meat and fish, bakery products, and baby food. Products that have no preservatives are highly perishable therefore indelible markings must be indicated visibly in these labels. Best Before Date also called Best if used by date. The keyword here is using the word best beside the date, meaning it is the date which signifies the end of the period where the products best quality is guaranteed. Again, the guarantee assumes a stated storage condition. Beyond this date, the products quality attributes will be expected to deteriorate but may still be satisfactory for human consumption. After a few days or weeks of the indicated date, though, changes in color or texture and decrease in nutritional content may is expected. Other products, especially those imported from overseas, may have different open date markings compared to locally distributed food. The following are some of the more popular open date terms used: Sell-By Date this is actually meant for the store owners more than the consumers. This date gives an approximation on how long the store should display a product for sale before it should be pulled out of the shelves. Consumers are also advised to buy the product before the sell-by date because, according to senior faculty member Paul VanLandingham of the Johnson Wales University Center for Food and Beverage Management, this is the last date wherein freshness is at highest level of quality in terms of taste, freshness and consistency. After the sell-by date, the food product should still be edible for some time after. Born-On Date this is equivalent to the date of manufacture and is often used to date beer. VanLandingham explains that beer quality is affected by how much sunlight it is exposed to. Since sunlight can reactivate microorganisms in the beer, store owners are advised to be careful with handling beer in clear bottles more than those in dark brown or clean bottles. Generally, commercialized beer can go sub-par after three months from the born on date. Guaranteed Fresh Date this is usually used by bakeries and is similar to best before date. As the name suggests, the guarantee is given that the baked product is at peak freshness before the date indicated. After the guaranteed fresh date, food will still be edible and may still be consumed, but taste, texture and nutritional value may not be the same anymore. Storage Times Keeping food at 40Â ° F or below inside a refrigerator is usually good s for food as the common food-borne bacteria usually grow in much higher temperatures (41 degrees F and above). Did you know that if you freeze perishable food like meat cuts, youre actually extending your foods shelf life by as much as several days? The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service website gives a food storage chart on food that bears a sell by or no date marking. Assuming youre storing food at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, cook or freeze the following food products by the times mentioned below: Raw poultry, ground meat, variety meats (like heart, tongue, liver, brain, etc), uncooked beef or pork sausages: 1 or 2 days Raw pork, beef, lamb, veal: 3 to 5 days Cured meat (like ham, tocino, etc): 5 to 7 days Eggs: 3 to 5 weeks Cooked poultry and sausages: 3 to 4 days Hotdogs and bacon: 2 weeks if sealed, 1 week if opened Luncheon meat: 2 weeks if sealed, 3 to 5 days if opened Cooked ham: 7 days if sealed; if opened, 3 days for slices, 7 days if kept whole Canned ham (with keep refrigerated label): 9 months if unopened, 3-4 days if opened Canned meat and poultry: 2-5 years if unopened; if opened, 3-4 days Life after food product dates According to experts, the average American family disposes of over 120 lbs of food monthly food that could have still been perfectly okay to eat! Talk about wasted money on what should have been spent on other basic needs of the family. Well, good thing that a USDA research has reported how packed foods can last several days (some, even weeks) after the sell-by date printed on packages. This is certainly good news for the Filipino household budgeters. As recommended by the Center of Consumer Research at University of California, Davis, heres a list of foodproducts that are okay to consume (if properly handled and stored) even after open date markings: Milk if pasteurized, milk usually remains fresh for about 5-7 days after the sell-by date. Make sure that its not exposed too long to sunlight, though, as it can lose some essential vitamins. This is why most milk cartons come in opaque containers. Eggs can be stored up to 5 weeks after taking them home. This is because most egg processing plants coat their eggs in mineral oil, which essentially blocks bacteria from entering any of the approximately 17,000 egg shell pores. Keeping eggs refrigerated also keeps bacteria away. Its best to keep them in their original carton and place them in the colder parts of your ref, not on the egg tray placed at the door (this is actually the warmest part of the fridge) Poultry, beef, pork and seafood cooking before storing in the fridge doubles the original shelf life of meats (3 to 5 days instead of 1 to 2 days). Once completely frozen, meat can last up to several weeks, even months. According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, freezing meat at 0Â °F (which is equivalent to -17.78Â °C) is best for safety reasons. Keeping meat frozen at 0Â °F wont kill bacteria that can cause food-borne illnesses, but it sure can slow down growth by forcing them into a state of dormancy. Some parasites can be killed at this temperature. Theoretically, keeping food frozen at this temperature can make meat last forever. Attempting to achieve this at home, however, is an extremely difficult task since your refrigerator is opened several times a day (causing fluctuation in temperature every time). Taking this into consideration, heres a list of recommended storage times of frozen products in home refrigerators: Bacon, sausage, raw poultry: 1 to 2 months Ham, cooked meat, hot dogs or cold cuts: 2 to 3 months Raw ground meat: 3 to 4 months Cooked poultry: 4 months Raw steaks, roasts or chops: 4 months to a year Raw poultry parts: 9 months Canned goods normally, canned goods are great refrigerator-free foods that last long if stored in the right conditions. If you cant find an expiry date printed on the label, here are some easy reminders on how long they usually last: highly acidic canned food like pineapple or tomato sauce can last about 18 months or more. Canned goods that are low in acid content like canned veggies or meat can be kept up to 5 years. Texas AM University professor of food and nutrition Peggy VanLaanen strongly recommends keeping canned goods at 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit in a dry, dark place for optimal shelf life. Humidity can speed-up deterioration, so this should be avoided. Do not buy dented cans or those that are swelling or bulging since these may easily be harboring harmful bacteria already (if you have bulging cans in your shelves, throw them out now even if expiration date isnt due yet) Yogurt this can last up to 5 days beyond the use by date, for as long as you keep them refrigerated. You may lose the friendly bacteria after this, but it should still be safe to eat. To keep yogurt fresh longer, place it upside down in your refrigerator as this creates a seal that can keep harmful bacteria from seeping in its packaging. Fruit juice this can last up to 6 days beyond the use by date, for as long as you keep them refrigerated. The sugars and acids added to your fruit juice already lengthen the shelf life and those in concentrate form can also last longer because air has been removed prior to packing. Keeping juices in the refrigerator after purchasing them will surely lengthen shelf life in general. Mishandled food can breed bacteria even before its labeled date, so it is important that you follow storage instructions mentioned in product packaging. For example, if you bought a pack of hotdogs that say theyll expire next month and you forgot to refrigerate the pack for several days, bacteria could have already contaminated your food even before the expiration date. If food is already contaminated by harmful bacteria like Listeria, E. coli or Salmonella, they can multiply and build colonies within days, even if you decide to throw the forgotten pack of hotdogs back in the refrigerator. According to food safety advocate, Bill Marler of Marler Clark (a Seattle law firm that represents victims of food poisoning), when bacteria are already present in food, the use-by date becomes irrelevant since it can cause harm even before the date indicated. In this case, it will be safer for you and your family to just throw away unconsumed food instead of risking the possibility of getting sick. Trust your nose and tongue For food that are not packed for commercial distribution (like cooked viands bought from a local carinderia or made to order baked goodies), the best way to find out if food is still edible or not is if we use our God-given sense of smell and taste. These are actually what our ancestors used back when food dating was not discovered yet. In general, you should not eat food that gives off a repulsive smell or taste, as it most likely isnt fit for consumption anymore. In the absence of an expiry date sniffing and tasting is the way to go! Sources: http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/oct2006/db20061002_959305.htm http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/guide/do-food-expiration-dates-matter http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5389/a_guide_to_food_expiration_dates.html?cat=22 http://www.safety.com/articles/what-do-food-expiration-dates-really-mean.html http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/food_product_dating/index.asp http://thehealthylivingsite.com/2010/09/03/foods-you-can-safely-eat-past-the-expiration-date/ http://www.entrepreneur.com.ph/features/article/read-the-label http://www.bfad.gov.ph/oldsite/FDA%20Regulation%20001%20s.%201982.pdf http://www.bfad.gov.ph/oldsite/MC/mc%206%201993.pdf http://www.bfad.gov.ph/oldsite/BC/fda%20reg%201-d%201982.pdf http://www.wisegeek.com/how-long-will-frozen-meat-stay-fresh.htm

Development of Jazz and Blues

Jazz music traces its origin to a mixture of West Africa and European musical elements (Hoiberg, 2002, p. 641). It is said that slaves from West Africa took with them their music when they came to North America (p. 641). There, their music was exposed to European music. Thus, it is believed that jazz evolved from a fusion of these two elements- West Africa with its rhythm and structure and from Europe, harmony and the use of other instruments such as trumpet, trombone, saxophone and piano (p. 641).The fact that its roots were in the United States and not from South America or Caribbean where there were also African Blacks is rather interesting. However, African Blacks in those regions were emancipated and thus, had the chance to practice and promote their African music tradition (p. 642). In the United States, however, there was slavery. Slaves were not able to retain their music tradition and had to rely to whatever was available to them at that time to make music. While it is unfor tunate to think that such practice existed, had it not been for slave trade, we probably would not enjoy jazz music now.Jazz music was heard in various occasions, from funeral processions and parades, hymns and religious events, even for work songs (p. 642). When classically-trained black musicians could not find work, they turned to jazz and played in clubs. New Orleans was the place where jazz music evolved (Hoiberg, 2002, p. 642). At that time, musicians were limited to seven instruments- cornet, clarinet, trombone, bass or tuba, piano, banjo and drums (p. 642). Saxophone made its way into jazz music only after ten years (p. 642). In 1915, the place was teeming with jazz musicians.Among those who were well known were Buddy Bolden, Buddy Petit, and Bunk Johnson (p. 643). At this time, jazz has spilled over other places such as Kansas City, Colorado and had reached Los Angeles and New York City (p. 643). Jazz groups and orchestras had started to perform. Fate Marable’s orche stra, for instance, produced the great Louis Armstrong (p. 643). Armstrong invented swing but perhaps his greatest contribution to jazz music was introducing jazz to the entire world with his jazz recordings (p. 643). He was the â€Å"first superstar of jazz† (p. 643). He also introduced what is now known as â€Å"scat† or singing without words or texts (p.  643).Other jazz standouts were Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and King Oliver (pp. 643-644). Jazz at the end of the twentieth- century is changing. Others say that some elements of jazz have been chucked in favor of new styles (Hoiberg, 2002, p. 648) In the past, jazz had a distinct sound but it has now been replaced by â€Å"stylistic flexibility† (p. 648). Also, music schools have exposed jazz students and musicians to all aspect of music now whereas before, jazz musicians were mostly self-taught. Today, we study about music theory and styles, among other thingsAt a time when the coun try was experiencing depression, jazz became an outlet of many people to release pent-up emotion. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke about the importance of jazz music during the opening of the Berlin Jazz Festival in 1964 (Winkel, 2002). He exclaimed that jazz talks about life, that jazz deals with putting into music all the troubles in the world only to come up with something that evokes hope and triumph (2002). For King, music is â€Å"triumphant† (2002). He added that jazz contributed to the freedom movement in the United States, with rhythms and harmonies serving as encouragement and composure to the despondent (2002).Jazz was popularized by American Negroes in a time when they were struggling, when they were hopeless. Listening to jazz music soothed their tired spirits, uplifted their souls. King even compared the struggle of the American Negroes to that of the modern man. While their problems may be different, they all longed for the same thing- to find their own identi ties and meaning in life (2002). Music is about life and when a musician creates one, it is akin to creating life, bringing hope to anyone who can hear it. Jazz music, specifically has an undeniable magic that draws people to it.It evokes a sense of calm that sometimes you need not have to be in the presence of others to appreciate it. Unlike say rock music where listening with others make it sounds better, you appreciate rock music better when you’re in a crowded concert hall where people are in high spirits. Listening to jazz does the same effect but in the opposite way. One only needs to sit back, relax and absorb the music. While classical music can also unwind a person, the effect of jazz on the listener is more personal, more emotion. Classical music is pleasant to the ears but jazz targets one’s soul. Perhaps, it’s the way the instruments are played.In classical music, various instruments are played simultaneously to produce one distinct sound that is mea nt to be heard. But when one listens to jazz, one does not only hear the melody and harmony, but something more, something deeper. It’s like you can see and listen to the mood of the musician. Truly, jazz has more emotional depth. Perhaps, that is also one reason why jazz is more accessible to listeners that classical music. Also, unlike classical music, one does not need to go to opera hall to hear jazz music. Jazz can easily be heard in clubs and restaurants. Lately, jazz elements have been infused with other music forms.For instance, American pop artists like Norah Jones, Christina Aguilera and Amy Winehouse have incorporated jazz into their music. Rhythm and blues (R & B) is an offshoot of jazz music that evinces funk and soul. Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, even Justin Timberlake are just some of the popular artists who use this style and judging by the sales of their albums, concerts, and the number of times their songs have been played over the radio and rocketing sales in music downloads, they have succeeded. It just goes to show that jazz music is really evolving. And when people continue to listen to it, jazz music will live on.

Green Purchasing and Procurement Strategies

The publication mainly discussed sustainable procurement by applying a highly effective and long-term investment strategy which is called green purchasing. This is defined as the approach to purchasing products and services that considers the economical, environmental and social impacts of buying choices (Little, Green Purchasing & Procurement Strategies 1). It includes best value-for-money considerations; applying the price, quality, availability and functionality of a required product or service. The thrust for green purchasing in the company is spearheaded by regulation which is mainly the European Union and national government policies. ; through the expectation of the customers, consumers and other legitimate stakeholders; and most importantly the tangible and beneficial effect of sustainable procurement in the business which are the cost reduction, lowered risk to business, provides options through innovation and preferences by potential customers, insurers, credit sources and others. (Little, Green Purchasing & Procurement Strategies 2). This conclusion is generated from the survey conducted from major Italian utility companies by Arthur D. Little. The companies perceived the three most valuable benefits of a sustainable procurement system to be: protection from environmental risk or disruption; attraction of environmentally sensitive customers; reinforcement of brand reputation. (Little, Green Purchasing & Procurement Strategies 2). The approach to sustainable procurement was also tackled as well as the influence of the CEO’s overall accountability which can be used as wider strategic choice of a company. The role of the CEO and his accountability to the overall performance of the business, the overall response of the stake holder’s expectations and his duty to build the value of the company through cost reduction, minimizing risks and protection of revenue. The CEO cannot transfer the accountability for sustainable procurements but can typically delegate responsibility for making it happen in the Chief Procurement Officer. (Little, Green Purchasing & Procurement Strategies 3). Three strategic choices for sustainable procurement are the following: Reactive- the company is forced to comply by regulation or loss of business; Compliant- allows revenue protection but fails to encourage new revenue generation; Anticipative- systematic evaluation of the company and procurement options followed by implementation of measures designed to maximize the business benefits delivered through procurement. (Little, Green Purchasing & Procurement Strategies 4). The strength of the publication is that it tackled a lot of ideas regarding sustainable procurement and offered a comprehensive explanation based on research and survey conducted from Italian Utilities companies. Contact information for possible additional clarifications was cited. There were too many points for strategic procurement that the explanation of green purchasing is not explained fully. It is not explained in detail how an organization can implement green purchasing. The publication stresses on the achievement of sustainable procurement through green purchasing power and the role of the CEO in the organization to realize this goal. To be able to effectively attain a more sustainable procurement is through the identification of: †¢ The stakeholders’ expectations †¢ The business ambition for the way of doing business †¢ The barriers that prevent the company from adopting a sustainable procurement strategy †¢ The comparison between the company and the other organizations’ performance in the field of sustainable procurement. Little, Green Purchasing & Procurement Strategies 7). Green purchasing is highly recommended by experts to be implemented in the company because it offers a lot of advantages in terms of cost reduction and also revenue generation which would result to sustainable procurement in the long run. [1] ———————– Works Cited Little, Arthur D. Green P urchasing Power Cost Reduction and Revenue Generation through Sustainable Procurement, 2008. Web

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