"Best by" dates are not expiration dates, however. They merely mark the last day before food quality declines. In fact, experts claim that milk may be good for up to a week after its printed date (always use visual cues and common sense before indulging, however). So if "best by" dates aren't regulated and they don't indicate expiration, why do companies print them?
Stephanie Ellis
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 1,044 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO73milestraveled by foot
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UP TO1.0public official or leadercontacted
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UP TO46pounds of CO2have been saved
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UP TO135minutesspent learning
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UP TO73milesnot traveled by car
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UP TO32conversationswith people
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UP TO1.0documentarywatched
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UP TO15hoursvolunteered
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UP TO2.0advocacy actionscompleted
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UP TO5.3poundsfood waste prevented
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UP TO57meatless or vegan mealsconsumed
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UP TO264gallons of waterhave been saved
Stephanie's actions
Action Track: Building Resilience
Volunteer in my Community
I will volunteer 15 hour(s) in my community helping people who are most at need right now, including elderly and immunocompromised people, people without childcare, and people whose jobs have been affected by social distancing measures.
Action Track: Building Resilience
Advocate For More Food Options
Access to affordable, nutritious food is a food justice issue. I will advocate for local and/or organic food options in my state and/or community.
Food
Learn the Truth About Expiration Dates
I will spend at least 5 minutes learning how to differentiate between sell by, use by, and best by dates.
Climate
Use Muscle Power
I will cut my car trip mileage by only taking necessary trips, and I will only use muscle-powered transportation for all other trips.
Climate
Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy Credits
I will sign up for my utility company's clean/renewable energy option. If my utility does not offer one, I will purchase Renewable Energy Credits to match my usage.
Action Track: Building Resilience
Support A Sharing Economy
To reduce my consumption and waste and support my community, I will create or support a sharing economy with family, friends, and neighbors.
Fresh Water
Eco-friendly Gardening
I will plant native species, landscape with water-efficient plants, and use eco-friendly fertilizers.
Wildlife
Research a Wild Animal
I will spend at least 30 minutes learning about a wild animal I find interesting, including their life cycle, habitat, ecosystem functions, and interactions with humans (if any!).
Food
Reduce Animal Products
I will enjoy 2 meatless meal(s) and/or 1 vegan meal(s) each day of the challenge.
Food
Weekly Meal Planning
I will reduce food waste and save money by prepping for 3 meal(s) each day, only buying the ingredients I need.
Action Track: Building Resilience
Connect While Social Distancing
I will connect with at least 1 person/people a day through phone call or video chat to support mine and other’s mental and emotional health during this challenging time.
Action Track: Building Resilience
Support Pollinators
At least 30% of crops and 90% of flowering plants rely on pollinators, including monarch butterflies, to produce fruit. I will spend 15 minutes researching which plants support local native pollinators and plant some in my yard.
Food
Watch a Documentary about Food Sovereignty
I will watch 1 documentary(ies) about food sovereignty: the right of local peoples to control their own food systems including markets, ecological resources, food cultures and production methods.
Participant Feed
Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.
To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Learn the Truth About Expiration DatesHow does knowing the difference between use by, sell by, and best by dates empower you to make better decisions?
Stephanie Ellis 4/30/2020 1:05 PMKnowing that some foods are ok to eat after their "use by" dates will help me decrease food waste.
"Best by" dates are not expiration dates, however. They merely mark the last day before food quality declines. In fact, experts claim that milk may be good for up to a week after its printed date (always use visual cues and common sense before indulging, however). So if "best by" dates aren't regulated and they don't indicate expiration, why do companies print them?
Food dating came into the picture in the 1970s when consumers were producing less of their own food but still wanting information about how it was made. Food companies realized that a spoiled food product may turn consumers away from a certain store or food brand, and so they chose date ranges to keep food in peak condition. Since then, food dating has been streamlined:
"Sell by" is used by manufacturers to ensure proper turnover throughout the journey of the food product. This helps the food retain a long shelf life even after purchase.
"Use by" marks the last date recommended for the use of the product. This is often printed on meat, poultry or egg labels and should be taken seriously.
What Happens if You Eat Food After the Date?As previously mentioned, sometimes eating food after the "best by" date simply means a decline in quality. Yogurt, for example, can be eaten 14 to 24 days after the printed date, but it will become increasingly sour during that time.
Other foods, however, might make you sick, and the symptoms can range from a stomach ache to full-on food poisoning. Experts say that chicken is one of the worst offenders: listeria was found when the poultry was stored in the fridge for 2 weeks past its "use by" date.
So how can you really be sure that food is okay to eat after the expiration date? Remember the difference between "best by" and "use by": milk, cheese, and bread can all last for varying time after their "best by" date when left unopened and stored properly. However, it is not recommended to ignore the "use by" date of meat, poultry or eggs. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Watch a Documentary about Food SovereigntyHow does food sovereignty address the complex agrarian transition to modern food systems?
Stephanie Ellis 4/30/2020 1:02 PMThe six pillars of food sovereignty
The international food sovereignty movement has developed six defining principles. Food sovereignty:
- Focuses on food for people: The right to food which is healthy and culturally appropriate is the basic legal demand underpinning food sovereignty. Guaranteeing it requires policies which support diversified food production in each region and country. Food is not simply another commodity to be traded or speculated on for profit.
- Values food providers: Many smallholder farmers suffer violence, marginalisation and racism from corporate landowners and governments. People are often pushed off their land by mining concerns or agribusiness. Agricultural workers can face severe exploitation and even bonded labour. Although women produce most of the food in the global south, their role and knowledge are often ignored, and their rights to resources and as workers are violated. Food sovereignty asserts food providers’ right to live and work in dignity.
- Localises food systems: Food must be seen primarily as sustenance for the community and only secondarily as something to be traded. Under food sovereignty, local and regional provision takes precedence over supplying distant markets, and export-orientated agriculture is rejected. The ‘free trade’ policies which prevent developing countries from protecting their own agriculture, for example through subsidies and tariffs, are also inimical to food sovereignty.
- Puts control locally: Food sovereignty places control over territory, land, grazing, water, seeds, livestock and fish populations on local food providers and respects their rights. They can use and share them in socially and environmentally sustainable ways which conserve diversity. Privatisation of such resources, for example through intellectual property rights regimes or commercial contracts, is explicitly rejected.
- Builds knowledge and skills: Technologies, such as genetic engineering, that undermine food providers’ ability to develop and pass on knowledge and skills needed for localised food systems are rejected. Instead, food sovereignty calls for appropriate research systems to support the development of agricultural knowledge and skills.
- Works with nature: Food sovereignty requires production and distribution systems that protect natural resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, avoiding energy-intensive industrial methods that damage the environment and the health of those that inhabit it.
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REFLECTION QUESTIONFresh Water Eco-friendly GardeningWhat are the most prominent water concerns in your area? Examples include drought, flooding, pollution, access, security, and privatization.
Stephanie Ellis 4/30/2020 12:55 PMBecause NYC’s water supply is unfiltered, an aggressive program of watershed protection is essential to protect it at its source. The continued quality of the city’s premier drinking water depends on ensuring that the watersheds remain unpolluted and that the water infrastructure is sound. The greatest threats to the NYC watershed are sprawl, aging infrastructure and the presence of pharmaceuticals in our waters.
Source: https://www.riverkeeper.org/campaigns/safeguard/threats-to-nycs-tap-water/ -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Weekly Meal PlanningAn average American throws out about 240 lbs of food per year. The average family of four spends $1,500 a year on food that they throw out. Does this surprise you? Where would you rather use this money?
Stephanie Ellis 4/30/2020 12:53 PMIt doesn't surprise me. One of the biggest changes lately is that we are spending a lot less money on drinks and snacks that we buy when we are out and about. It's something we have gotten used to that I would love to cut back on when life gets more back to normal. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONFood Reduce Animal ProductsWhy do people in richer countries eat more meat than people in other places? How does eating more meat affect our planet and other people?
Stephanie Ellis 4/30/2020 12:51 PMEating meat has ‘dire’ consequences for the planet, says report
To feed a growing global population and curtail climate change, scientists say we need to radically change our food systems.4 MINUTE READPUBLISHED JANUARY 16, 2019THERE'S AN ENTIRE industry built around dieting. Most of its products are intended to help people lose weight, gain muscle, or live longer.But as the global human population steadily climbs, scientists are scrambling to devise a diet plan that can feed 10 billion people by 2050.A new report, published in the British medical journal The Lancet, claims to do just that. It recommends a largely plant-based diet, with small, occasional allowances for meat, dairy, and sugar. The report was compiled by a group of 30 scientists from around the world who study nutrition or food policy. For three years, they deliberated with the intent of creating recommendations that could be adopted by governments to meet the challenge of feeding a growing world population.“Even small increases in the consumption of red meat or dairy foods would make this goal difficult or impossible to achieve,” a summary of the report states.The report's authors reached their conclusions by weighing different side-effects of food production. They included greenhouse gases, water and crop use, nitrogen or phosphorous from fertilizers, and the potential for biodiversity to take a hit should a region be converted into farmland. By managing all these factors, the report's authors say climate change-inducing gases could be reduced and enough land could be reserved to feed the world's growing population.Under the report's conclusions, meat and sugar consumption around the world should drop by 50 percent. Who eats less meat and where will vary, says Jessica Fanzo, a report author and professor of food policy and ethics at Johns Hopkins University. Meat consumption in the U.S., for instance, would have to go down and be replaced by fruits and vegetables. But other countries already facing poor nutrition could incorporate meat into roughly three percent of their diet.
Following a vegan trendRecommendations to scale back meat consumption aren't new. Just this past October, a study published in the journal Nature set similar guidelines for reducing meat and sugar consumption.What's different about this new report, says Fanzo, are the steps outlined to put such a change into place.Branded what the authors call a “Great Food Transformation,” it outlines strategies that range from the least active, simply sharing information, to the most aggressive, eliminating consumer choice.“I think it’s hard for people on a daily basis because the incentives and political structures that are in place don’t make it so easy,” says Fanzo. Shifting what sort of agricultural practices receive subsidies is one tactic for overhauling the food system, the report outlines. That would change the relative prices of foods, and thus build in consumer incentives.Whether a plan like this could actually grow legs around the world is a different story, says Fanzo.“With the current [presidential] administration, I just don’t think anything is going to move,” she notes.Greg Miller is the chief science officer for the U.S. National Dairy Council. In addition to citing health benefits of milk like calcium and vitamin D, he cautions against transforming America's food landscape.“You have a million people whose lives depend on dairy,” Miller says of those who work on farms or are otherwise employed by the dairy industry.“We could get there with the right incentives and the right policies,” Miller says of making dairy farming more sustainable. “Subsidies are needed for better technology right now. [Small-scale farmers] don't have additional income to do some of the things that could be done.”Better breeding has created cows that are capable of producing more milk for instance, and better tracking systems can monitor an animal's food intake and activity.Lingering emissions debatesNot all experts are convinced that plant-based diets are a food security panacea. Frank Mitloehner, an animal scientist from the University of California, Davis has been vocal about his view that meat has been disproportionately linked to climate change emissions.A Texas butcher chops a side of beef into various cuts.PHOTOGRAPH BY BRIAN FINKE, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION“What concerns me the most is that, while livestock has an impact, the report makes it sound as if it was the leading source of the impacts. By far the use of fossil fuels are the leading source of carbon emissions,” says Mitloehner.
According to the EPA, burning fossil fuels for industry, electricity, and transportation comprises the bulk of greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture is nine percent of emissions and livestock roughly four percent of that.Mitloehner also disagrees with the method used by the council to determine the amount of greenhouse gases produced by livestock, saying too much weight was given to methane during calculations. Compared to carbon, methane stays in the atmosphere for a relatively short amount of time. Scientists debate how long exactly, but studies have shown methane plays a large roll in warming oceans.Reducing food wasteThough the report's dietary guidelines are receiving criticism, its push to reduce food wasteis being more widely received. In the U.S. alone, nearly30 percentof all food is wasted.Strategies to reduce waste are outlined for both consumers and producers in the report. Better storage technology and contamination spotting could help businesses reduce the amount of food that's thrown out, but educating consumers is also touted as an effective strategy.It's a daunting prospect for many—changing eating habits and reducing food waste. But Kathryn Kellogg, author of the book 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste, says she gets by with just $250 a month.“There’s so many creative ways to use our food to prevent waste, and I feel like most people just don’t know about them,” she says. She cites knowing how to cook each part of a vegetable and being constantly aware of the food in her fridge as some of her most effective habits. (Learn more about so-called zero-waste families.)Kellogg, however, lives in California near neighborhoods with accessible farmers markets. For other communities living in so-called food deserts—regions where grocery stores or markets aren't readily available—accessing fresh fruits and vegetables can be more difficult.“All the actions we recommend are available now,” says Fanzo. “They’re not 'pie in the sky' future technologies. They’re just not done at a large scale.”The report's commissioners will hold launch events in more than 30 countries around the world starting Thursday. They plan to appeal to international organizations like the U.N. as potential enforcers of their new guidelines. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONWildlife Research a Wild AnimalWhat interesting facts did you learn about the animal you researched? What are some of your favorite things about this animal?
Stephanie Ellis 4/30/2020 12:46 PMI learned about orangutans.
"While exact orangutan population counts are always a challenge – various estimates put current counts at between 50,000-65,000 orangutans left in the wild – we do know with certainty that 2,000 to 3,000 orangutans are killed every year.
At this rate of loss, many experts believe orangutans could be extinct in the wild in less than 50 years.
Never before has their very existence been threatened so severely. Economic crisis combined with natural disasters and human abuse of the forest are pushing one of humankind’s closest cousins to extinction.
The main threats in today to the survival of orangutans
- Loss of habitat through deforestation
- Palm oil plantations
- Illegal hunting
- Illegal pet trade
Orangutans have lost well over 80% of their habitat in the last 20 years, and an estimated one-third of the wild population died during the fires of 1997-98.
As shocking as the rapid loss of rainforests has been over these past few decades, nothing compares to the amount of land being bulldozed by palm oil plantations in the 21st century. Each palm plantation that destroys thousands of hectares in pursuit of massive profits also takes with it the lives of many orangutans. Recent headlines reported how one palm oil firm hunted down orangutans while expanding their cash crop production. Meanwhile, governmental mandates, meant to protect the land and the animals, disappear faster than do the trees.
In short, if things don’t change soon, if the main threats to orangutans – palm oil, deforestation, poaching and hunting – are not addressed in a serious, urgent and sustained manner, wild orangutans will be gone from this earth."
https://www.orangutan.com/threats-to-orangutans/
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Gian Ascione 4/30/2020 3:42 PMAs an ingredient to avoid, palm oil can be overt on the label or insidious. For instance, ramen and other dried noodles are made by flash frying in palm oil (for even desiccation).
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REFLECTION QUESTIONClimate Choose Renewable Energy or Purchase Renewable Energy CreditsYour utility company is able to tell you your average energy usage. Ask them how your energy usage compares to others in your ZIP code, region, and/or state. What other steps can you take each day to reduce your electricity usage?
Stephanie Ellis 4/30/2020 12:42 PMOne thing I do that I could be even better that is unplugging things like phone chargers when they are not in use. I will go do that right now! -
REFLECTION QUESTIONClimate Use Muscle PowerHow do your transportation choices affect your engagement in your community? Does your experience or enjoyment differ while walking, riding transit, biking or driving?
Stephanie Ellis 4/30/2020 12:41 PMI love living in the Hudson Valley but the main thing I miss about NYC is the great public transportation. We have a Prius so our gas mileage is good, but we generally do A LOT of driving. (Not lately). I generally try to combine errands in the same location so as to not have to take extra trips. Walking and biking are great ways to get a new perspective on our region. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONAction Track: Building Resilience Support PollinatorsWhy is it important to take care of pollinators?
Stephanie Ellis 4/30/2020 12:39 PMIt is estimated that more than 1,300 types of plants are grown around the world for food, beverages, medicines, condiments, spices and even fabric. Of these, about 75% are pollinated by animals. More than one of every three bites of food we eat or beverages we drink are directly because of pollinators. Indirectly, pollinators ultimately play a role in the majority of what we eat and consume.
Pollinators are vital to creating and maintaining the habitats and ecosystems that many animals rely on for food and shelter. Worldwide, over half the diet of fats and oils comes from crops pollinated by animals. They facilitate the reproduction in 90% of the world’s flowering plants.
You can make a positive difference in your home environment. Provide a diverse assortment of flowering plants and encourage native species in your landscape. Use pesticides only when necessary and then only late in the day or evening. Look for alternative ways to deal with pest and disease issues before reaching for a quick fix. These often come at a price. Learn about and practice IPM (Integrated Pest Management). The actions you take in and around your garden can either help reduce or promote the population of pollinators in your landscape. Hopefully it’s the latter.
From: https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/the-importance-of-pollinators/ -
REFLECTION QUESTIONAction Track: Building Resilience Volunteer in my CommunityHow does volunteering enhance your community and/or change your relationship with it?
Stephanie Ellis 4/30/2020 12:37 PMI've been volunteering with Project Resilience delivering meals from local restaurants to my neighbors. I have had wonderful positive interactions with both the other volunteers and my neighbors who are getting food. It is nice to know that we can all give and get help when we need it.