Yogurts will no longer have an expiration date

The food labels they are extremely useful to provide consumers with useful information to know their characteristics as required by the regulations: ingredients, nutritional contribution, expiration date and preferred consumption and date of packaging, among others.

In this sense, the labeling of the product will depend precisely on the food in question, especially if we are faced with a packaged food and before a non-packaged food.

In relation to the yoghurts Yet the Date of Expiry, surely that in many moments you have consumed a yogurt long after presumably it had expired, being precisely in perfect conditions for consumption.

The law in force since 2003 obliged yoghurt manufacturers to set a maximum expiration date of 28 days from the date of their elaboration, so that - supposedly - their consumption was not recommended after this date.

The Spanish Government has put an end to this nonsense, especially after it was recorded that in our country they were throwing away a great diversity of dairy products (especially yoghurts), in perfect condition for consumption but already expired.

After the regulatory changes carried out on March 8 by the Council of Ministers (of 2014, published under Royal Decree 271/2014), the previous law in force since 2003 is repealed, so that from now the manufacturers of yogurts can establish a date of preferential consumption that they consider appropriate, it is not mandatory to include an expiration date.

And surely you will ask yourself: what is meant by preferential consumption date? Very simple: it is the date indicated by the manufacturer of recommended consumption, during which the product does not lose its organoleptic properties (flavor, texture, aroma ...). After this date it is possible that it loses some of its characteristics, but the product would also be suitable for consumption.

What is the use of an expiration date in a food? And why is it so useful?

When a food has an expiration date on its label it means that it is a fresh, perishable food or one that presents a certain microbiological risk. It treats, therefore, of a measure of alimentary hygiene that indicates to us from which moment -date-is inadvisable his consumption.

In the particular case of yoghurts, until 2014 their labeling had printed the expiration date, so that their limit was a total of 28 days after the time of manufacture. However, after the legislative change, it is the manufacturers who can freely decide whether their yogurts should indicate an expiration date, or a preferred consumption date, as well as their own duration.

In this way, today it is more common to find yoghurts whose labeling specifies a "preferred consumption date" instead of the "expiration date", and we can also distinguish them under the name "Consume preferably before ..." .

And what is the denominated as Preferential use date? Consists basically of a date that indicates to the consumer the time -recommended- for the optimal consumption of the product without losing its nutritional or organoleptic properties (that is, flavor, texture, aroma ...).

Images of Istockphoto. This article is published for informational purposes only. You can not and should not replace the consultation with a Nutritionist. We advise you to consult your trusted Nutritionist. ThemesFoods

Are Expired Foods Safe to Eat? (March 2024)