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Food expiration dates don’t mean what you think - Carolyn Beans

TED-Ed

4.5M Views . 2023-06-06

Find out what expiration date labels on food actually mean, and discover ways communities and governments can lessen food waste. -- Countries around the world waste huge amounts of food every year: roughly a fifth of food items in the US are tossed because consumers aren’t sure how to interpret expiration labels. But most groceries are still perfectly safe to eat past their expiration dates. If the dates on our food don’t tell us that something’s gone bad, what do they tell us? Carolyn Beans shares how to prevent food waste. Lesson by Carolyn Beans, directed by Anton Bogaty. This video made possible in collaboration with Speed & Scale Learn more about how TED-Ed partnerships work: https://bit.ly/TEDEdPartners A special thanks to Roni Neff who provided information and insights for the development of this video. Support Our Non-Profit Mission ---------------------------------------------- Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreon Check out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop ---------------------------------------------- Connect With Us ---------------------------------------------- Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletter Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebook Find us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitter Peep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram ---------------------------------------------- Keep Learning ---------------------------------------------- View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/food-expiration-dates-don-t-mean-what-you-think-carolyn-beans Dig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/food-expiration-dates-don-t-mean-what-you-think-carolyn-beans#digdeeper Animator's website: https://antonbogaty.com Music: https://www.campstudio.co ---------------------------------------------- Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Khalifa Alhulail, Martin Stephen, Jose Henrique Leopoldo e Silva, Mandeep Singh, Abhijit Kiran Valluri, Morgan Williams, Devin Harris, Pavel Zalevskiy, Karen Goepen-Wee, Filip Dabrowski, Barbara Smalley, Megan Douglas, Tim Leistikow, Ka-Hei Law, Hiroshi Uchiyama, Mark Morris, Misaki Sato, EdoKun, SookKwan Loong, Bev Millar, Lex Azevedo, Michael Aquilina, Jason A Saslow, Yansong Li, Cristóbal Moenne, Dawn Jordan, Prasanth Mathialagan, Samuel Doerle, David Rosario, Dominik Kugelmann - they-them, Siamak Hajizadeh, Ryohky Araya, Mayank Kaul, Christophe Dessalles, Heather Slater, Sandra Tersluisen, Zhexi Shan, Bárbara Nazaré, Andrea Feliz, Victor E Karhel, Sydney Evans, Latora, Noel Situ, emily lam, Sid, Niccolò Frassetto, Mana, I'm here because of Knowledge Fight Facebook group., Linda Freedman and Edgardo Cuellar.

The United States has a major food waste problem, with households contributing to 37% of the waste. A significant portion of this waste is due to misinterpreting food date labels, which often indicate freshness rather than safety. While most foods remain edible past their labeled dates, consumers and businesses often discard perfectly good food based on these labels.

Food waste
Food date labels
Consumer behavior

  • The United States is a major contributor to global food waste, with 37% of food waste stemming from individual households.
  • A significant portion (20%) of this household waste is due to consumers misinterpreting date labels, resulting in perfectly safe food being thrown away.

Insights from the YouTube Video Script:

1. Food Waste: A Global Problem with a Local Impact This script highlights a concerning trend: food waste is a significant issue, particularly in the US. The script reveals that a significant portion of food waste stems from individual households, emphasizing the need for consumer education and behavior change.

2. Decoding the Mystery of Date Labels The script explains the origin and evolution of date labels on food products. It exposes the misconception that these labels often represent expiration dates, revealing that they primarily indicate "best-by" dates for optimal quality. This knowledge empowers consumers to make informed decisions about their food.

3. The Danger of Date-Driven Food Discarding

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