Buying "near-expiry" food: Is it safe to use?

Products nearing their expiration date (near expiry date) such as imported beef can be discounted up to 50% at supermarkets. Illustrative photo

At a time when gasoline prices are “escalating” and causing commodity prices to increase, many housewives have passed on to each other a “secret” to both buy quality products from famous brands and save maximum consumption costs: That is, look for products that are close to their expiration date.

Although the price of goods has shown signs of cooling down after many periods of adjusting the price of gasoline, the trend of choosing to buy food and goods that are "close to their expiration date" continues to become popular and gradually becomes a consumer habit of many families.

Cheap high quality goods?

Maintaining the habit of going to the supermarket every weekend during the period of rising commodity prices, Ms. Thu Huong (Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi) shared her experience in saving money on shopping: “Every late afternoon, I usually spend 15-30 minutes going to the supermarket to buy near-expiry items. With products that are close to their expiration date, discounted up to 50%, I can save an additional one to two million VND each month on family expenses.”

According to the reporter's records, most fresh food items in supermarket systems such as pork, beef, salmon, fresh squid... usually have a shelf life of about three days from the time of packaging. By the third day, most supermarkets will start labeling these products with a 30-50% discount.

Fresh foods are discounted on the last day of their expiry date to help consumers access cheaper goods. Photo: Viet Anh/Vietnam+

Not only housewives, students are also a group of people who actively “hunt” for products that are close to their expiration date: “With high-end food items such as imported beef or salmon, if we don’t wait for the close-to-expiry discount, students like me will have a hard time using them. Therefore, I often wait until the last days of the product’s expiration date to have an “improved” meal,” said Nguyen Hoang Minh, a second-year student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Hanoi).

On online shopping sites, near-expiry items are also being advertised “loudly”, the most popular ones being fresh milk, powdered milk, cream cheese… for children. In addition, there are also many expensive imported foods such as bacon, canned foods…

In fact, most items that are close to their expiration date are often sold for about half of their original price. Brand appeal and low price are the “advantages” that help near-expiry items be accepted by a segment of consumers.

Notes on food preservation

According to the reporter's research, "near-expiry goods" is a concept used to refer to products that are about to expire, and are promoted and discounted by stores and supermarkets to help businesses recover capital and consumers access good quality products at low prices.

Consumers need to carefully observe product quality when buying because 'near-expiry' food may no longer retain its original quality. Illustrative photo

In fact, the production date and expiry date printed on the product packaging are for consumers to note and use the products within a safe period of time. In other countries, products do not have an “expiry date” printed on the packaging like in Vietnam, but often use the phrase “best before” - meaning that consumers should use the food before the expiry date to preserve the product.surefull nutritional quality

According to Professor Le Danh Tuyen, former Director of the National Institute of Nutrition, normally the expiry date of food will be printed on the packaging by businesses about 1-3 months earlier than the actual expiry date of the product to ensure safety for users in case of purchasing near-expiry products.

“However, consumers still need to be cautious and carefully observe the quality of products when purchasing, especially foods that are close to their expiration date. Due to many reasons such as weather conditions, transportation, storage, etc., the quality of these items can be damaged before the expiration date and no longer be as intact as the original quality,” said Professor Tuyen.

Speaking to reporters, Dr. Bui Anh Thong (Cardiovascular Institute, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi) said that foods that are about to expire are still good for health, because they have not expired, are cheaper and protect the environment. Businesses conduct discount programs for 'near-expiry' foods because they want to boost sales, and at the same time contribute to solving the problem of global food waste.

“When the expiration date is near, some sensory indicators such as smell, taste, color, crispness, deliciousness... may decrease, because at that time some substances in the product will change structure, making the product no longer fresh and delicious. Therefore, consumers should carefully observe food quality when buying,” said Dr. Thong.

In addition, the preservation process of users and carriers does not ensuresureFailure to comply with the manufacturer's recommendations and regulations may also result in a product that is no longer in use.

Therefore, "near-expiry date believers" need to be careful when choosing food, learn carefully about the expiration date and how to preserve products to avoid the situation of "losing money and getting sick" affecting the health of themselves and their families.

According to Vietnam+