The USDA’s New Food Safety App Wants Consumers to Stop Wasting Food

Kristin Appenbrink
Kristin Appenbrink
Kristin is the co-founder of Part Time Vegan and Silent Book Club. As a former editor at Real Simple, she is compulsively organized and loves solving people's problems. She has a weakness for desserts, especially ice cream.
published Apr 28, 2015
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You’re probably used to the USDA guidelines telling you to toss food earlier than you might think, but their new app is running counter to that.

In an effort to eliminate food waste (the average American gets rid of 36 pounds per month), the USDA has released the Food Keeper app.

The app was created to help consumers determine just how long things can really last in their pantries and refrigerators.

A spokesman in the video where the USDA introduced the Food Keeper app notes that while some items might have a sell-by date of April 1, they could in fact be safe to eat for 12 to 18 months after that.

Now before you get visions of drinking year-old milk, they are primarily talking about pantry staples — like pasta, oatmeal, and condiments — with long shelf lives.

You can watch the video talking about food waste and the new app below.

→ Read more: New USDA ‘FoodKeeper’ App: Your New Tool for Smart Food Storage from USDA Blog

Filed in:
Food Safety