Heh Heh... There's a NAME for what I do!

[Frank Lee]

GDit, we've been through that already right?

How "adulterated" can food be when it's packaged such that it'll survive 100 years?

[SentraSE-R]

How adulterated do you want it? How about adulterated with cancer-causing Red #3? How about adulterated with chopped up mouse ribcages in the spinach mill? How about being underprocessed by 2 minutes during the retort venting process? All of those foods end up in your 100 year packaging, looking perfectly safe to eat. Do you feel lucky today?

[Frank Lee]

My cat eats chopped up mouse rib cages.

If he can do it, so can I.

[SentraSE-R]

You have a point. You shouldn't pay good money for food with chopped mice in it, but you aren't paying anything. You have to pick the mouse fur out of your teeth, though. And the next package may contain the carcinogen or the toxin.

[Christ]

And the same applies for that food post-inspection, hence the reason for recalls.

When the food on the shelves is 100% guaranteed safe to eat, then your argument will hold more weight. Until then, it's decidedly less of a risk, but still a risk, to eat ANY processed food.

Remember, as much of it as you find in the stores, there's probably just as much that you haven't found, and someone has already consumed.

[Frank Lee]

The food I'm talking about WAS on the shelf, most of the time less than 24 hours from when I discover it!

[SentraSE-R]

Let's assume the food on the shelves is 99.99% safe to eat. Now let's assume a significant percentage of the food thrown away is not safe to eat. Allowing for an unknown percentage that's just outdated and stale, or just outdated, some of it will be good. For argument's sake, I'll pick a number out of my hat - 25% is not safe to eat.

As Dirty Harry asked, "Do you feel lucky today, punk?" If I'm buying it, the cylinder will click on an empty cylinder 9999 times out of ten thousand. If I'm scavenging it, my odds drop to one in four. Which odds do you prefer?

[Christ]

Apparently, we've both been very lucky, then. Thanks for your concern. It's been noted. Twice. Or more.

[Formula413]

Lulz

[Peter7307]

Sentra ,
I can understand your points and , having been the victim of food poisoning twice myself I can also see the logic in your arguments.

Where I live the laws also require food to be discarded once the "use by" / "best by" date passes but I have seen these dates on sugar and salt too which suggests to me the legislation is more than a little off the mark on this one.

Frank's point , as I am reading it , applies to perfectly good food being "date expired" on Monday and discarded Monday might when it could be just as safely be taken to a food kitchen or where ever for immediate consumption on the Tuesday with no danger whatsoever.

Just my perspective on it all.

Pete.