There are two types of people in the world: those who religiously follow the use-by date on their food, and those who do not.
TikTokker Gavin Wren is the one who does not.
With users curating unique and exciting content, on the video-sharing app, Wren is seeking to prove that there is no need to bin several items because they are past their use-by date.
@gavin.wren Replying to @Gummy gtag Alfievr Important update ⚠️ #foodwaste #foodpolicy #gavinwren ♬ original sound - Gavin Wren
The “food policy expert”, as stated in his bio, went viral recently after filming himself opening a box of cheese that had been in his fridge since November last year and tucking in.
Wren has also filmed himself eating a fried egg which is 73 days past its best-before date (despite the fact another of the same age had already turned green), eating some hummus that was 17 days out of date, milk that was 41 days out of date and yoghurt that was 31 days out of date.
While he is not a food safety expert – and often shares experiments that go against government safety advice – he says that he has been “absolutely fine” so far and swears that he has “not once” had any stomach problems. He does not have any underlying health conditions and keeps his food in a regulated fridge.
“I grew up in a family where if something looked and smelled alright, you would just eat it,” says Wren. “Maybe that gave me a titanium belly.”
He simply wants to stop food being thrown away when it does not need to be and, with “apocalyptic” food prices a worrying side-effect of rising inflation, says this may help Brits make their food go further.
@gavin.wren Replying to @Lewissav let’s find out! #foodwaste #foodpolicy #gavinwren ♬ original sound - Gavin Wren
While on the topic of out-of-date food, expiry dates on food items are a health and safety measure, but they are also the mortal enemy of food waste.
Quite often people think that best-before dates and expiration dates are the same thing and end up throwing out food that may still be good.
This is an obvious problem as you are creating food waste for no reason. Next time you are about to throw food in the rubbish bin, you should double-check the date on it first.
Food safety experts reveal knowing which foods have expiration dates and what the best before dates are will help you plan your meals.
In addition, you will be able to save some money as you can take advantage of any discounted products and avoid throwing out food that is still good.
Here’s everything you need to know about the best before date versus the expiry date when it comes to food.
You can read the latest IOL Food digimag here.