Do you know the difference between use by and best before dates?

According to the UK Food Standards Agency the 'use by' date is all about the safety of eating the food, so if the packaging has a 'use by' date, then you should never eat it once that date has passed as it is not safe to do so, even if the food looks or smells ok, it could have bacteria in it which could cause serious illness. However, the 'best before date' is all about the quality of the food and is perfectly safe to still consume years after the date has passed.

My top 5 blog posts from 2014

I thought that it would be a good time for some shameless self promotion!

No, seriously, I thought it would be nice to remind my readers of the most read posts of last year and show the posts to any new readers who might enjoy them. 

Tuna pasta salad

I love having meals that can be thrown together quickly for nights where we are extra busy as it saves us from relying on a take-a-way which saves us money. It is also much healthier then most take-a-ways too and as I am a self confessed control freak knowing I have something quick and easy makes me feel much more in control of things which keeps me happy!

Food packs seem to be shrinking!

Is it just me or is the food and drink manufacturers and supermarkets trying to trick us? Over the last year I have been noticing that pack sizes are getting smaller. For example, chocolate bars, they use to come in packs of four but now many of the packs only contain three. When I was shopping yesterday I noticed that Mars and Snickers were on offer for £1, but on further inspection the packets only contained three bars, which is not such a good offer compared to a few months ago when they would be on offer for £1 but contained four bars. 

Less food waste = more money!

Image courtesy of dreamstime.com

According to the love food hate waste website we throw away 7 million tonnes of food and drink every year and as a mum trying to feed a family on a budget I thought that it would be a good topic to cover.

It may sound silly to most but it was not until a year or so ago that I learnt what the differences between the dates on food actually meant. I use to think that they all meant that the food would not be safe to eat once the date had passed and I hate to think how much food we threw away that we didn't actually need to!

If you see a date that says 'use by' then that means that you must use the food by that date as it would be unsafe to eat. However, if you see a date that says 'best before' you can still consume the product. The date is simply to let you know that after that date the product will no longer be at it's best but it is still perfectly safe to eat.

More tips on less waste.

If you have meat that is going to be out of date before you can eat it, pop it into the freezer and then when you need it, just defrost it thoroughly and consume within 24 hours.

You can also freeze foods such as cheese and bananas. Bananas freeze well without there peels and if you have cheese that will run out of date just grate it and store in a zip lock bag.

Bread also freezes well and you can even keep it in the freezer just taking out slices as and when needed and put them straight into the toaster when making toast.

Survey your fridge and cupboards every week before going shopping and plan meals according to foods that need to be used up. There are some great recipes on the love food hate waste website. Also planning your meals really does help save time and money as well as help prevent food waste. For more tips on menu planning check out one of my earlier posts here.