Unanswered Food Questions

We have some tips and interesting information about some food items this week. We’re focused on how you can tell what day of the week your bread was baked, decoding the meaning of the date printed on your milk container, and the last word about “dusty” chocolate.

Fresh Bread

Commercial bread is baked and delivered on a strict 5 day a week schedule. Bakeries usually have Wednesdays and Sundays off. Here’s the simple tip – the color of the twist tie or plastic tag on the bread indicates the day of the week the bread was baked.

• Monday – Blue
• Tuesday – Green
• Thursday – Red
• Friday – White
• Saturday – Yellow

The colors are in alphabetical order by day of the week. This color code is widely used at commercial bread bakeries across the country.

Remember the date on the bread bag or tag is not the baking date, it’s the “sell by” date.  

The Milk Question

How long past the date printed on the carton does the milk last? This topic has been debated by experts and the best answer we have found is a date range that varies by the type of milk.

If you milk has been left unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours, the FDA considers it unfit to consume.

In addition, where you place the milk in the refrigerator is important, too. Place the container away from the door in the back of the refrigerator. Milk should be stored at 38 – 40°F in the original container.

“Dusty” Chocolate

When you have “dusty” chocolate likely cause is chocolate bloom. Here is the food science explanation. In warm conditions the cocoa butter in chocolate will separate from the candy and then reform as it cools creating that white dusty film.

While bloomed chocolate is still safe to eat, the flavor may be a bit off. A good use for bloomed chocolate is in baking.

Dean and Draper

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Sources: Reader’s Digest, FDA, USDA.