By Dayo Yussuf
When a consignment of powdered milk past its use-by date was impounded by police in Kenya recently, it sparked a huge outcry.
Many feared for the safety of their children and themselves. Neither the seizure nor the sale of packaged products that might be unsafe for consumption is new in the world of retail.
But as a consumer, how many times do you stop to check the expiry dates on packaged foods before buying those? Research suggests you always should.
A recent study by Harvard University showed that consumption of packaged foods that remain on the shelves after their expiry dates could even lead to premature death.
As part of their research, scientists fed old food to flies and mice. The results were startling. Food stored and consumed beyond the stipulated safety period consistently shortened lifespans of the research subjects by up to 10%.
In reality, many of us might look the other way, especially when the expiry date of a product isn't too far gone.
Nutritionists say you can get away with it, but it depends on the storage of the food. They say storing in a frozen state might sometimes help preserve the food for longer than initially recommended for consumption.
Dr Alice Ojwang, a nutrition expert in Kenya, says it is easier to identify past-expiry foods from cans and packages.
"A lot of people do not even know how to identify spoilt food," she tells TRT Afrika. "You can buy your fruits and vegetables, and not be able to tell if it is spoilt or not unless it starts to stink."
This is particularly problematic for governments up against rogue vendors. On May 17, Kenya announced the suspension of 27 officials, including from the police and ministry concerned, over the sale of sugar deemed unfit for human consumption and meant to be used in industrial production of ethanol.
Experts say instances like this would continue to recur as long as there are people who choose to eat expired food "even if they see stuff growing on them".
Poison perils
Spoilt food products like meat and fish can trigger a severe case of poisoning from bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli, H. pylori and many others.
You might also expose yourself to dangerous bacteria like fungi, found mostly in bread and other wheat-based foods when they go bad.
This can either lead to poisoning or trigger a bad allergy and, sometimes, autoimmune conditions like asthma, urinary infection and peptic ulcers.
Expired foods also do not have any nutritional value, which means you are getting nothing out of it while leaving yourself vulnerable to disease.
Dr Ojwang warns that even frozen foods can sometimes be problematic. "One surprising thing that can give you poisoning is ice cream. The danger of freezing and thawing foods is you expose it to bacteria like Listeria, which also attacks frozen vegetables and fruits," she says.
Signs of food poisoning include headache, fever, stomachache, diarrhoea as well as nausea or vomiting. Experts recommend seeking immediate medical care because some cases are life-threatening.
WHO recommends checking the "best before" or "use-by date" labels on foods as one of the first things consumers should do before buying.
It is a common practice for supermarkets to reduce prices of food items that will soon reach expiry; so special attention should be paid before purchasing such foods.
Dr Ojwang says the more important thing is to always know what you eat, although there could be exceptions.
"You know that spoilt milk is not bad. It is actually very safe and good for you. If it is natural milk that came from animals, you can use it to make things like cream cheese or yoghurt," she explains.
