Is your food expired? Don't be so quick to toss it! More than 90% of Americans throw out food prematurely, and 40% of the U.S. food supply is tossed - unused - every year because of food dating, according to a Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) publication. "Use By," "Sell By," and "Best if Used By" indicate freshness and peak flavor guidelines for stores, not, as mistakenly believed, an indication of safety dates for consumers.
   The Truro Food Pantry keeps an eye on those "dates" with "Pantry Matrix" guidelines that indicate the time frame in which foods are safe to be consumed. For example, pasta and rice are safe to consume for 2 years past their "code date." Eggs can be consumed for 3 weeks past the "code date." Peanut butter and dried beans have 2 more years, and yogurt is good for an additional 2 weeks. While we keep an eye on those dates, the steady turnover of food at the Pantry seldom leaves an unclaimed item on the shelf for very long; even the more unusual donations such as chuño entero (Peruvian dehydrated freeze-dried potato) or pickled cactus find a welcome kitchen.