What's the point of "best before" dates?

"It's good in parts"

This question is posed by the BBC News Magazine - "Best-before" dates on food could be reformed, the UK government has indicated. But what purpose do they actually serve?"

None at all in many cases. We found some Safeway couscous in the cupboard. "Best before 24 Nov 2001" it says. As far as I can tell it's still very much OK. Why waste it. My nose usually tells me what's OK and not. And my taste buds. The things to watch out for are these reduced fat items. They've even gone off before stores reduce the prices. Reduced fat egg mayonnaise - don't bother! Also, guacamole can get very sharp on the tongue well before its sell-by-date.

I tried to get Sainsbury's to sell me sausages that were "yesterday's date" but they claimed all manner of retribution might befall them from the powers-that-be if they did. I guarantee you there was nothing wrong with those sausages. All that happened to them was Veolia got them and dumped them. Great shame!

See this too:- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1024879/The-best-challenge---One-man-boldly-goes-use-dates-food.html

Is Burger King barmy?

There are some jobsworths around. With such people common sense goes out the window and a mantra is maintained. In a Missouri Burger King the manager had read the company rules on dress code seemingly in the manner of a dullard. So when a mother came in with a baby he was quick to tell her that the child was a hygiene problem. No booties, no burgers!

The manager told the mother that they would have to leave the restaurant because the baby wasn't wearing any shoes. The mother put socks on the baby to try and adhere to the policy. She was then threatened by the manager saying that he would call the police. The baby doesn't walk, and can't even crawl yet, but the manager didn't want "baby germs" getting in the way of his business.

You'd think Burger King would want to respond by saying that it was all a ghastly mistake. But no. They've not bothered to squeak. More fool them. They've got enough trouble with the persistent publicity about junk food. Do they need any further bad press?

I'd suggest they got a real lesson in hygiene. Take a swab from the baby's feet and take another from the Burger King kitchen. It would be interesting to see who's got the bigger germs!

Kebabbed by the porkies about kebabs?

It seems that the doner kebab, as served up to the average late-night reveller, is both high in calories (almost 2,000 in one case) and not at all what it would seem. A survey shows the poor state of the kebab. No wonder the phrase "being kebabbed" suggests getting into a bit of difficulty. Because six kebabs surveyed served up pork in the mixture, which would have been enough to put any good Halal eater off, had they known.

Officers from 76 councils sampled 494 kebabs to test their nutritional value, during the Local Authority Coordinators of Regulatory Services (Lacors) study. I pity them, I really do. I was severely put off these things, when I sat next to a friend eating one of these in a car. We were somewhere in South London, Brixton maybe, at about 2am. He started on this greasy concoction, the fat squelching out of the sides, running down his face to a great globulely drip on his chin. As I had had a few beers, I was not in any sense able to have a reasoned discussion on these molecular monsters, but I was sober enough for my memory to be implanted with a high degree of disgust. He thought it was delicious. "You should try one!", he said, with a knowing grin and a sense of satisfaction. I never have and I never will.

However, my wife tells me that where they make them well, Greece and Turkey, no such qualms should exist. They are perfect creations there. Which leads me to wonder why the British will accept any crap and not demand higher standards.

It's no good these Local Authority Coordinators of Regulatory Services valiantly sampling such greasy grub if they don't do something about the food standards in this country. We deserve better, we really do.