"'Expiration Date' on Food is Safe, Gyeonggi Health and Environment Research Institute"

Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment

The Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment announced on the 1st that safety tests conducted on the 'consumption period,' which is generally set longer than the expiration date for food products, showed that products are 'safe' within the consumption period.

From April to June, the Institute conducted microbiological tests (bacterial count, E. coli, and six types of pathogenic microorganisms), physicochemical tests (pH, moisture measurement, etc.), and sensory evaluations (appearance, taste, color, smell) on 10 products across five categories including fruit and vegetable juices, processed milk, tofu, bread, and rice cakes to verify safety up to the consumption period.

For example, fruit and vegetable juices were stored and tested from the purchase date until 30 days past the consumption period, and processed milk was stored and tested until 19 days past the consumption period from the purchase date. All products met the standards in the tests.

This study was conducted to alleviate residents' concerns about the consumption period following the implementation of the 'Consumption Period Labeling System,' which requires labeling the consumption period instead of the expiration date starting January 1 of this year.

The expiration date indicates the period during which the sale of food products is permitted to consumers, while the consumption period refers to the period during which it is safe for consumers to ingest the food.

Typically, the expiration date is set at about 60-70% of the limit period for quality safety, and the consumption period is set at about 80-90%, making the consumption period longer than the expiration date. From the consumer's perspective, checking the consumption period allows for a clearer understanding of the safe consumption timeframe of the product.

A representative from the Institute of Health and Environment emphasized, "This year is a guidance period during which both expiration dates and consumption periods are used interchangeably. To safely consume food, consumers should check both the expiration date and consumption period labeled on the product at the time of purchase and follow the storage instructions for each product."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.