In at nutshell: The stories of donated food and expiration dates

At the North Valley Food Bank (NVFB) we receive more than 40,000 pounds of donated food every month. Donations of local rescue food account for roughly half of this amount. The other half is donated by businesses, partner organizations, and private households.

Private food donations often include highly desirable items such as breakfast staples, kids snacks, soups, canned proteins, canned vegetables, mac and cheese, condiments, and spices.

We are especially excited when we receive your fresh garden vegetables in the summer months!

On occasion, however, the remnants of an old pantry — not emptied for years — or other strange food items show up on our doorstep. To recognize such oddities, we have a “Hall of Fame of Obscure Donations”.

Some of our favorite candidates include a Blazin’ Rectum Gourmet Redneck Hot BBQ Sauce, an 80 year-old can of Fancy Whole Oysters from Korea (!), a pack of Red Ginseng extract for male sexual enhancement that arrived wearing a tiny wool hat, a jar of Apricot Preserves with a “best by” date in the early 90s, and a half-opened glass of Corona beans donated during the height of the pandemic. At the very end of the shelf stands a lonely bottle of 95% ABV grain spirit alcohol from Poland that reminds me of the schnaps my grandparents would unearth in their German basement right before a holiday dinner. Let’s pause and imagine the wild stories of how these food items made their way to our small town in Montana.

Joking aside!

Because of the wide variety of items in our donation bin, we have strict donation sorting requirements at NVFB.

Did you know that the shelf life of food items is often longer than the expiration dates suggest? Are you confused by the variety of phrases describing expiration dates such as “sell by”, “best by” or “use by” at the grocery store?

Unfortunately, with the exception of infant formula, food product dating is not regulated in the U.S. This leads to confusion over food expiration dates and to nearly 10% of all food waste in the Country. To reduce food waste, we have to understand that these labels are merely describing the quality and not the safety of food. Food products are often safe to consume past the expiration date.

At the food bank, we use FDA guidelines and check every single item before it is distributed to our customers. You can do the same at home!

One great resource is the FoodKeeper App that you can find on FoodSafety.gov. You can also check out savethefood. com for tips to plan meals with food close to its expiration, information on how to best store food, and a guest-imator to plan the right amount of food for your next family gathering.

How about some veggie scrap falafel for dinner?

Lastly, trust your senses and look for changes in color or texture. If something smells, tastes or looks funny, it’s likely spoiled.

I encourage our communities to not only check their own food but also the food donated to food rescue organizations for safety. If you wouldn’t offer it to your friends, please don’t offer it to your neighbors in need. If you are unsure about a product, you are always welcome to give us a call. When you donate with care and responsibility, you make a big difference in our communities and you help NVFB keep our food budget down.

To learn more about rescue food from local grocery stores and what we do with expired food, stay tuned for the March edition of In a Nutshell.

Sophie Albert is director of North Valley Food Bank in Whitefish.