|
|
Article: How fresh is 'fresh' food? (includes related article on advertisements)
- Article from:
- Consumers' Research Magazine
- Article date:
- May 1, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Consumers' Research, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first addressed the meaning of the term "fresh" applied to foods more than 50 years ago. Meanwhile, new technologies and new products have stretched the boundaries of what constitutes "fresh." The term has different connotations for the meat, poultry, dairy, produce, baking, juice, and beverage industries. No one chronological, physical, or chemical definition fits all products.
In the 1940s, the FDA agreed to allow the term "fresh frozen" on produce frozen while still fresh. However, the agency barred use of the term "fresh" for butter previously churned and held in cold storage awaiting shipment.
Meanwhile, processors ...