• “Best if used by", “sell by”, and "freeze by" labels are indicators of food quality- not food safety.

Even if one or more of those dates has passed, examine and smell an item to see if it is still safe to use. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines these labels as:

Best if Used By/Before = The date when a product will have the best flavor or quality. This is not a purchase or safety date.

Sell By = This date indicates how long a store should display the product for sale

Freeze By = This is the date by which a product should be frozen to maintain the best quality

• Know before you go!

Carefully check your refrigerator, shelves, and pantry to determine what you already have before shopping.

• Plan meals and buy only what you need to make them.

Here’s a video guide to the meal planning process.

• Avoid bulk buying.

Review how often you use certain ingredients to see if it makes sense to buy a larger or smaller amount at a time. Use The Guestimator to plan your next dinner party or social gathering.  

• Learn new tips and tricks to safely store your foods longer.

Read how to safely store items in your refrigerator and how long items should last opened or unopened in this handy Shelf Life Guide.   

• Enjoy planned leftover nights.

Get creative with leftovers and “must eat now” foods for at least one meal each week.

• Start a food "share table" at your school or workplace.

Anyone who has unopened food to share can put it on the table and others can take what they would like, for free.

•  Have more than you can use? Donate.

  Donate food — if unopened and new, or near or just past the "best by" date — and personal care items to local food pantries and the Middlesex County Food Bank, REPLENISH.

Items that are always needed:

Deliver these perishable (fresh) items directly to the REPLENISH Distribution Center or your local food pantry:

If unopened and near or just past the "best-by" date, the following canned, bottled, and packaged goods (no glass containers) can be brought to any food drive event, drop box, local pantry, or the REPLENISH Distribution Center. 

Canned and dried meats*
Macaroni and Cheese
Vegetables*
Dry beans (red, black, and pinto)
Canned beans*
Fruit*
Stew
Cereal*
Rice and quick-cook rice meals
Pasta and quick-cook pasta meals
Granola bars*
Diapers and wipes
Paper products
Cleaning supplies
Soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and other personal care items

*Low sodium and low sugar options are preferred.

 

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REPLENISH Distribution Center

28 Kennedy Boulevard, East Brunswick
Suite 850 (around the back of the building)
Hotline: 732-729-0880
replenish@co.middlesex.nj.us

Perishable items can be dropped off from 6 am through 4 pm. All other goods can be placed in REPLENISH's outdoor drop box at any time. PLEASE NOTE: Per federal law, REPLENISH does not accept expired or past-date baby formula.

Since 1982, New Jersey protects donors from liability when they handle, store, and transport items safely and donate in good faith.

Food Bank Good Samaritan Act (1982)

Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act (1996)

• Start an indoor or outdoor compost bin.

Middlesex County sells backyard compost bins at a discount.

Middlesex County Solid Waste Management and Middlesex County Cooperative Extension Service with Rutgers  run two backyard composting workshops each year:

Email solidwaste@co.middlesex.nj.us or call 732-745-4170 to register
Compost Workshops

You can find more resources on Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County’s page.
Learn more about composting at home, how you can purchase a bin, and the compost workshops.
Do you own a business? Find out if you’re required to recycle food waste and how to do it.

• Don’t forget to recycle food packaging too. For more recycling info, click here.