THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 24, 1996 TAG: 9607230045
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY FLACHSENHAAR, SPECIAL TO FLAVOR
LENGTH: 222 lines
THE FRUITS AND vegetables are described as ``fresh from the farm.'' The bread in the deli is advertised as ``baked fresh.'' The ground beef is labeled ``fresh.'' So are the tuna steak, the milk and the eggs.
When food is described as ``fresh,'' what can the shopper assume about it?
a) That it's not spoiled?
b) That it has never been frozen or processed?
c) That it has just been picked or produced?
d) All of the above?
e) None of the above?
Answer a, b, c, d or e, and you could be right. Depending on what store and department you're in or what item you're buying, the word fresh has different meanings. Sometimes it is used with legal precision, at other times with poetic license. Sometimes it clarifies, sometimes confuses.
When several officials from regulatory agencies and local supermarkets were asked to define fresh, almost every one began the answer with, ``That depends.
In 1993 the Food and Drug Administration, which oversees food products except for meat, poultry and eggs, issued a regulation that states the word ``fresh'' can be used only for a food that is raw, has never been frozen or heated and contains no preservatives.
But there are exceptions, allowed the FDA. Milk that has been pasteurized can still be called fresh, but pasteurized orange juice cannot. The word may be applied to bread even though bread is a heated product. Produce can still wear the fresh label even though some of it has been waxed, washed with acid or chlorine or sprayed with pesticides.
At the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which regulates meat, poultry and eggs, the policy is that the word ``fresh'' may not be used in these instances: on a cured product like corned beef; on any canned, hermetically sealed, shelf-stable, dried or chemically preserved product; on poultry that has been frozen at or below zero degrees Fahrenheit. The USDA does not have a fresh/ frozen policy on beef or other meat.
But a postscript to the USDA policy demonstrates that ``fresh'' is a flexible word:
``Generally trademarks, company names, fanciful names, etc., containing the word `fresh' are acceptable, even on products produced in a manner described above, provided . . . it remains clear to the purchaser that the product is not fresh. Further, processed meat and poultry products, such as nuggets, dinners, etc., sold in the refrigerated state, may be labeled as `fresh' even when made from components processed in a manner described . . . above.''
Confused?
You're not the only one.
Perhaps the consumer-friendliest advice when shopping for ``fresh'' comes from Mark Tubbs, program manager in the office of dairy and foods of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in Richmond.
``The best way for the consumer to determine freshness is by organoleptic examination,'' said Tubbs.
Even more confused?
``All that means,'' he continued, ``is to use your senses. Look at the food - if you see mold, it's not fresh. Touch it - if the celery feels rubbery, it's not fresh. Smell it - if the hamburger meat smells bad, it probably is.
``When in doubt,'' he added, ``throw it out.''
To help you decide what's fresh, and to help you keep it that way, we consulted area experts and the Food Marketing Institute, a supermarket trade group.
When you're fortified with facts, finding fresh will no longer be formidable.
Produce
``Here the word `fresh' means perfect - a blemish means we toss it,'' says Jim Corleto, produce manager for Farmer Jack on Newtown Road in Virginia Beach.
The typical customer is demanding - poking and prodding in search of the ideal apple, the smoothest cucumber. The staff, he says, should be just as demanding.
``We cull the rack all day long and take care of fruits and vegetables like they're diamonds,'' he says.
Diamond-quality means no blemishes, bruises, browning, soft or slippery spots.
Green, leafy vegetables should be crisp, not flabby. Fruits like pears, apples and kiwis should be firm, with unbroken skins. Potatoes with green spots and citrus fruit with a dried-out look should be avoided.
When peaches, pears, nectarines and other soft fruits are too firm to eat, they should be allowed to ripen at room temperature for a day or two and then refrigerated. Left at room temperature, they will mold, especially in summer's heat and humidity. Refrigerated, they should maintain quality for up to a week.
Refrigerated, firm fruits like apples and oranges should last two to three weeks. Berries and cherries should be refrigerated immediately after purchase; they will last several days. Keeping the green caps on strawberries helps maintain freshness.
Vegetables need refrigeration, except for potatoes and onions which should be stored at cool room temperature. Wrapped and refrigerated, fragile vegetables like mushrooms will last just a few days, while heartier ones like cabbage and celery may last up to two weeks.
Just before they are to be eaten, fruits and vegetables should be washed with water to remove wax and pesticide residues.
Meat and poultry
In the meat and poultry department, ``fresh'' generally means that a product has never been frozen and, at the time the consumer buys it, it has a reasonable life expectancy when stored properly. ``Sell by'' and ``use by'' dates guide the shopper.
But when a product is less than fresh, there are usually other clues, says Dale Faunce, vice president of perishables for Farm Fresh.
If the product has an odor, reject it, says Faunce. Discoloration indicates that spoilage has begun. Excessive moisture in the package means that the product is warm or old.
Ground meat and ground poultry are usually pulled from the display case after one day, while larger cuts are considered fresh for as long as three days, says Faunce.
Poultry packed by the retailer might stay in the case up to three days, but if it has been vacuum-packed or packed with inert gas by the producer, poultry might have a supermarket life of up to 10 days, he says.
Sometimes a pack of fresh chicken may appear icy, especially around the edges. It has probably been chill-packed, explains Faunce, or stored between zero and 26 degrees. In this state, water in the poultry will freeze but cell tissue won't.
``The method is ideal, because bacterial growth is retarded but cell damage doesn't occur,'' Faunce says.
When buying meat and poultry, choose tightly wrapped, undamaged packages. Buy meat and poultry last and take directly home or store in a cooler if you'll be delayed. Remember, bacteria multiply rapidly when conditions are between 40 and 140 degrees.
Leave meat and poultry in the store wrap, because repeated handling can introduce bacteria. Place leaking packages in plastic bags so raw juices don't contaminate other foods.
Store meat and poultry in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Freeze if the items won't be used within two days. Ground meat and poultry are especially perishable.
Rinse poultry with cold water before cooking. Refrigerate leftovers immediately.
Fish and seafood
In this department, ``fresh'' generally means never frozen. The consumer can also expect the word to mean ``safe to eat.'' Highly perishable, fish and seafood should be cooked and eaten within a day or two.
``Fish will spoil one or two days sooner than deli and other meats,'' says Cary Decker, seafood manager at the Harris Teeter in Virginia Beach. The store, which participates in a voluntary federal inspection program of its fish and seafood, pulls unsold products from the case at the end of the second day.
Seafood purchases should be made at the end of a shopping trip, taken home immediately and stored in the coldest part of the refrigerator in the original wrapper, Decker says.
``If a customer requests, we can pack the fish in ice to last a little longer,'' says Decker. On a hot day, transport fish in an air-conditioned car, not in the trunk, he adds.
Fresh fish should smell fresh, not fishy. Steaks and fillets should be moist without drying or browning around the edges. On whole fish, the eyes should be bright, the gills bright pink or red and the scales should be shiny and cling to the skin.
Shrimp, scallops and oysters should have a fresh odor. Shrimp should be firm. Freshly shucked oysters will yield a clear, slightly milky or light gray liquid.
Shells of live clams, mussels and oysters may gap but should close tightly when tapped. Live crabs and lobsters will show some leg movement, and lobsters will curl their tails tightly when handled.
Previously frozen fish and seafood should never be refrozen.
Dairy and eggs
In this department, the ``sell by'' date stamped on a product is an indicator of freshness. That date tells the store how long to display the product and gives the consumer a reasonable amount of time to use it after purchase.
``The consumer should have at least several more days of use past the `sell-by date,' '' says Gene Faller, category manager for dairy at Food Lion in Salisbury, N.C.
Some dairy products may carry a ``best if used by or before'' date, which indicates the final day the product is good to eat.
Purchases from this aisle should be made near the end of the shopping trip and unpacked first. The less time dairy products spend out of the refrigerator, the longer they will last. Never leave dairy products out of the refrigerator longer than two hours.
Milk, cheese, yogurt, cream, cottage cheese and similar products should be refrigerated in their original containers, but unused portions should not be returned to the original carton.
Half-and-half, light and heavy cream should last about 10 days in the refrigerator after opening. Ultrapasteurized whipping cream may last up to a month, refrigerated. Sour cream can usually be refrigerated two to three weeks after opening; yogurt, one to two weeks. Butter may keep up to a month in the refrigerator; margarine, four to five months.
Hard cheese should be refrigerated in its original wrapper until it's opened. Then it should be rewrapped in moisture-proof wrap or placed in an airtight container. Well-wrapped, sliced cheese can last up to two weeks. Cream cheese is good for a week or two. Cottage, ricotta and soft cheeses like brie will last about a week.
Dairy products with a foul smell or with discoloration should be tossed, except for hard cheeses that have a small area of surface mold. They are edible after the mold and the surrounding half-inch radius of cheese have been removed, according to the Food Marketing Institute.
While the risk of contracting salmonella from eggs is small, proper selection and storage can reduce that risk even further.
Cartons containing cracked or dirty eggs should be rejected. Eggs should be stored in their original carton to prevent cross-contamination and kept inside the refrigerator, instead of on the door, where temperatures tend to be warmer. Eggs can last up to five weeks if stored properly.
Deli and bakery
The life span of most delicatessen foods - hot dishes, cold salads and sliced meats - is a few days.
Deli managers follow strict time and temperature guidelines to maintain the safety and quality and encourage customers to do the same. The maximum time for leaving these foods at room temperature is two hours. The general guideline is: Keep hot foods hot, cold foods, cold.
At the Hannaford Food and Drug Superstore in Virginia Beach, hot foods like chicken and lasagne have a deli-case life of four hours.
According to deli and bakery manager Kevin Cyr, this is an industry standard. After four hours everything is replaced. We encourage people to consume hot foods immediately, or refrigerate them within an hour and a half, Cyr says.
Cold salads, such as macaroni and potato, are highly perishable and should be refrigerated within two hours also.
Deli meats should be purchased in reasonable quantities, because they spoil rapidly, even under ideal conditions. Many meats, such as bologna and salami, remain safe to eat for four or five days when tightly wrapped and refrigerated. Turkey, chicken and rare roast beef may remain edible two to four days.
When the meat has an off color, aroma or flavor, or when it becomes gummy and slippery, toss it.
Crusty breads have a shelf life of one day, says Cyr, while loaves of white and wheat are considered fresh for two days, at the store. At home, refrigerated regular loaves should keep at least a week. Bread that is bagged while still hot is likely to mold quickly, Cyr says.
KEYWORDS: SHELF LIFE
by CNB