Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Can I Eat the Stuff in My Fridge?

I often wonder as I look into my fridge whether that lunch meat I bought a week ago or that chicken that has been in the freezer for six months can still be eaten without making me sick. Amazingly, the FDA as published guidelines about this. They admit the guidelines are conservative, (which is fine with me and Nate) and give recommendations for both the fridge and freezer for many foods. They also give some common sense advice like "don't freeze whole eggs" - duh!

The list is put out by the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (part of the FDA) which is "responsible for promoting and protecting the public's health by ensuring that the nation's food supply is safe, sanitary, wholesome, and honestly labeled, and that cosmetic products are safe and properly labeled." I found the list on an FDA site (Science and Our Food Supply) on bringing food science into Middle and High School classrooms under an A-Z food safety guide. This is just the kind of information and education that my Mom would have loved with her degree and lifelong interest in Nutrition.

Who knew that our tax dollars could come up with such a good source of information. I may just post the Fridge/Freezer guidelines on the fridge. Now if I can just remember when the stuff went in the fridge......

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I have to wonder where or what you ARE eating that you aren't in the frige enough to know what's in there and how long?

Are senior moments coming already?