In recent years, low-priced expired food has been popular among many consumers. What is expired food? What should merchants pay attention to when selling? How should consumers choose? Expired food refers to pre packaged food that is about to reach its shelf life and has not exceeded it. The shelf life is the period during which food maintains its quality under the specified storage conditions. When the food exceeds this period, its sale is considered illegal. Therefore, merchants usually adopt discount promotions and other methods to sell expired food as soon as possible to reduce economic losses. What is the attitude of consumers towards expired food? Some consumers believe that expired food has good quality and taste, and can be consumed within two to three days after purchase, which is still relatively safe and reassuring. Some consumers believe that the price of some food products sold on time is within half price, which is cost-effective; Some food items are priced similarly to usual and are not affordable. Some consumers have reservations about expired food and have expressed that they will not purchase expired food. Consumers have different attitudes towards expired food, and there is currently no unified answer as to how long the term 'expired' in expired food refers to. The reporter found that the specific definition of "expiry date" in the management measures, standards, and guidelines formulated for expired food in many places is not the same. The "Quality and Safety Management Measures for Food Sales Near Shelf Life in Anhui Province" has refined the shelf life boundary into seven gradients, including 30 days before expiration for shelf life of more than 1 year, and 30 days for shelf life of less than 3 days determined by the sales operator independently. According to the Shanxi "Regulations on the Management of Expired Food", the expiration date of food with a shelf life of 12 months or more is defined as "six levels+special circumstances". The expiration date of food with a shelf life of 12 months or more is 45 days, followed by expiration dates of 30 days, 20 days, 10 days, 2 days, and 1 day. In addition, the state allows food without a shelf life label or with a shelf life of less than 7 days to have no expiration date. But even if many places set the shelf life of food with a shelf life of one year or more at 45 days, it still differs slightly from the "shelf life" that some consumers have in their minds. Reporters have found that some consumers believe that food is no longer fresh when it is still two to three months or even six months away from its expiration date, and will classify it as "expired food" in their minds. How should businesses regulate the sale of expired food? It is not difficult to see from the comprehensive regulatory documents in various regions that classified management and clear labeling are key. Food operators should strengthen daily inspections and food circulation management. Food approaching its expiration date should be classified and managed, with special labeling or centralized display for sale. In addition, the label of "expired food" should be prominent, allowing consumers to see and buy clearly. For expired food, it should be immediately taken off the shelves and disposed of in a timely manner. How do consumers choose expired food? Professor Fan Zhihong from the School of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering at China Agricultural University stated that for qualified pre packaged foods, as long as their condition and flavor are normal, there is no need to throw them away just because they are about to expire. Buying discounted expired food, as long as it can be eaten in a timely manner and not left at home, is not only cost-effective, but also helps reduce food waste. Fan Zhihong reminds that if you want to consume expired food with peace of mind, you need to pay attention to storage conditions. For example, food that needs to be refrigerated or frozen for storage may expire prematurely if it breaks away from the cold chain during sales or transportation, or if the storage temperature does not meet the standard or the ambient temperature is too high. Caution should also be exercised when purchasing such expired foods, and they should be immediately stored in the refrigerator according to product requirements after repurchase. For some foods that were originally stored at room temperature, if it is expected that they cannot be consumed in a short period of time after purchase, they can also be considered to be refrigerated or frozen in the refrigerator to delay quality changes and extend their edible time. (New Society)