Roody

But the ergot mold is found on the rye grain itself, pre-harvest. It doesn't grow on rye bread or any other bread. Ergot is an interesting organism that has had some effect on human society, including the development of LSD.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergot

wolfchild

Mold is nothing to worry about. I've eaten smoked fish and cheese that had a bit of mold on it and never got sick. You just need to cut out the moldy part and eat the rest. No problem... Some ancient cultures used to ferment their meat and fish until the whole thing was full of living bacteria and then they ate it. It's called probiotics and is good for your health. Sour fermented milk is also full of bacteria which is good for you.

downtube42

Urbanization and home refrigeration have resulted in a culture that is largely ignorant of food safety. My mom's America was so different; growing up on a farm during the depression, without refrigeration, they knew what would keep and what would not. I suspect people living from discarded food know food safety better than those of us on the other side of the equation.

I suppose our world has its own challenges, requiring a different set of skills and knowledge.

Roody

I think this is a good point. Everyone who eats food should have basic knowledge of food safety. Especially if you want to eat the tastier products that don't come shrink wrapped in plastic and pumped full of preservatives

thinktubes 

Have you seen the French documentary The Gleaners and I?

Mobile 155

I guess I finally realized I simply don't live in the same world many of you do. It sounds like you are recommending eating food from dumpsters as if there is no danger. I simply can't do that. I have seen some of the cultures of bacteria produced in a demonstration from the health department from a swab from a dumpster and it looks horrid. But just cutting off the mold doesn't seem to be recommended for many of the foods some are suggesting. At least not by the USDA. Take particular notice to the last two in the list by the USDA. I have to wonder how some of you feel about expired medications as well.
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/...efKoMMtQ!!/#16

Ekdog

It can be streamed here, although not in my region. :-(

Dahon.Steve

[QUOTE=Ekdog;16350965And don't get me started on bottled water[/QUOTE]

I used to buy bottled water by the gallon all the time. Aot of cities like (mine included) have dirty water and the cities piples were made of lead! As a result, the water that enters my house is not clean. In fact, the city even requsts that you run (waste) your water 5 minutes each day! I now double filter any water I drink and it actually tastes better than bottle water.

Rowan

Just to point out that bacteria and mould (fungus) are two entirely different organisms. One is obvious (mould) while the other is not. One can generally be somewhat harmless (fungus) but the other can produce toxins or be themselves extremely dangerous.

It's the bacteria that usually causes the issues with human health. There are some such as listeria that can have really bad effects on unborn children. Botulism is another serious problem that can kill people... even in fresh produce that hasn't passed its use-by date.

Artkansas 

Our library has it. Very interesting.

Roody

Same link I already posted.

Mobile 155

Sorry, just thought the suggestion about the mold being harmless on baked bread was covered there. Plus I still wonder if people are recommending eating food retrieved from dumpsters. I guess that is why so many dumpsters are locked in my area.

plustax

Mobile 155, a bacterial culture from your skin would produce an equally "horrid" bacterial culture..

Dumpster diving for food is safe.

wolfchild

I've never done dumpster diving... But I regularly see people doing it around apartment building dumpsters/recycling bins. I would never pull any furniture out of dumpsters because of risk of bedbugs. Sometimes people throw out beds, furniture, clothing because of bug infestation. The grocery store dumpsters are a different story, they're all locked up and very secure, impossible to get anything out of them.

gerv 

Nothing new under the sun

You can view a 4-minute clip

I-Like-To-Bike

I'll remember not to eat my own skin.

As for the safety of diving in dumpsters for meals, go for it and enjoy! Your relatives would be proud of your resourcefulness.

goldfinch

Take a look at the bacteria on your kitchen counter. Or on what you use to clean your counters. Or on your toothbrush. Greeblies are everywhere.

Most drugs are good far past their expiration date.

Most of what is known about drug expiration dates comes from a study conducted by the Food and Drug Administration at the request of the military. With a large and expensive stockpile of drugs, the military faced tossing out and replacing its drugs every few years. What they found from the study is 90% of more than 100 drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, were perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration date.

So the expiration date doesn't really indicate a point at which the medication is no longer effective or has become unsafe to use. Medical authorities state expired drugs are safe to take, even those that expired years ago. A rare exception to this may be tetracycline, but the report on this is controversial among researchers. It's true the effectiveness of a drug may decrease over time, but much of the original potency still remains even a decade after the expiration date. Excluding nitroglycerin, insulin, and liquid antibiotics, most medications are as long-lasting as the ones tested by the military. Placing a medication in a cool place, such as a refrigerator, will help a drug remain potent for many years.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/up...ate1103a.shtml

storckm

Once when I was an undergrad., I went through the drive through at some chicken place shortly before they closed, and asked them if they'd have any chicken to give away. We waited around until they closed, and they brought us out several sacks full of food.

plustax

You never eat finger foods?


You know my family is trashy (hehe) enough to be proud. I'm not ashmed of that either.I will enjoy!

Roody

It looks like the FDA requires stability and shelf life testing of new drugs before they are released on the market. This requirement delays the introduction of new products, meaning pharmaceutical companies have to wait longer for a financial return. I suppose they usually choose to test stability for only one year and call it good.

This is too bad in one way. Free clinics would be able to dispense more donated medicines if the drugs had longer labeled shelf lives. Also, consumers would save money if they didn't have to throw out drugs so soon.

For example, I was prescribed Vicodin for an injury. I only needed a few pills so I had 20 or so left over. A couple years later I needed the Vicodin again, but I was afraid to use my leftovers after the expiration date, so I ended up buying more.

https://www.fda.gov/downloads/regulat.../ucm128204.pdf

wolfchild

Have you ever heard of botulism, listeria, e coli ??..What about dumpster food which has been polluted with rat/mice droppings and urine ??..How safe is that ??

plustax

The plastic around the food tends to protect it.

I recall you saying you have gone into the woods and survived with just a knife for month(s) before. I really don't think the dumpster is any more dangerous than that.

TiBikeGuy

As to the question of why retailers rather dump expired food products than give them away, you just have to look at your legal system. If someone had eaten the food and got food poisoning, they can sue the company giving the food, however noble their intentions. So by tossing them in the dumpster, they are saying, "Once it is in there, it is trash, not food so you eat at your own risk".

wolfchild

You are correct. I've gone on many wilderness survival trips. It was up North, the wilderness is much cleaner then city garbage dump.

TiBikeGuy

I don't dumpster dive for food but for consumer products like electrical and electronic products, the occasional bicycle, bags, etc. When a new family moves in, they usually toss out all the electrical items that they don't need. I have picked up fans, cookers, lamps, computers, radios, playstation, kitchen stuff, etc.

Electrical fans are either thrown out when they are not working or when the plastic blades have broken off. So if the motor is burnt, I salvage the other parts to fix on those that are working but with broken blades, rusted cages, or blown fuses. Some items like blenders and coffee makers just needed to be cleaned to be usable again. I found some table lamps that I replaced the bulbs from my recycled stash and it is working.

A laundry shop had recently tossed out 2 huge boxes of unclaimed clothes. They are cleaned and in the clear plastic with the hangers. Kept those that I can wear, gave some away, sold some away and will donate the unsold ones to Salvation Army. Among the tossed items are Emporio Armani jacket,DKNY pants, Columbia rain gear,a few Italian silk ties.

Got a free vacuum which is not sucking, cleaned out the clogged vents and it is as powerful as new. Now, I have more electrical items than I can use, so I sell them after i repaired them.

Found a laptop with cracked LCD display, it is working so I just hooked it up to an external monitor and I used it for more than 3 years. I once picked up a dusty Ortleib waterproof trunk bag that just needed a wash. Sometimes bags are tossed out with hidden treasures in the many pockets. Things like cash, Parker pens, calculators, watches have been found inside.

Some time back, I came across some old furniture that was left by the dump site. Thought of recycling the chest of drawers, so I started to look through the old papers and clothes inside and found dollars in 10's and 50's even a single $1,000 note, some old jewellery ... nice Christmas present.

So you see, one man's trash can be another man's treasure.