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"  Ever wonder what happens to all the food in the supermarket that passes its expiration date? Do they throw it out? According to a recent report in The Atlantic, expired, seasonal, and past-prime foods see a &amp;quot;second life&amp;quot; off the supermarket shelves. More From Delish: Recipes for Leftover Foods Each night when those automatic doors close for good, workers comb the shelves for foods that have reached their expiration dates. Meats, fish, fruits, and cheeses may become tomorrow&amp;#039;s lunch as part of the prepared foods section. Fresh salmon will be roasted or skirt steak may find it&amp;#039;s way onto the salad bar as a grilled item. But many of the other overdue foods are sent to food banks, retailers that resell the foods at a bargain price, or the sidewalk, where Freegans scavange through what&amp;#039;s been discarded in garbage bags. &amp;quot;With the current economic troubles, expired foods are increasingly becoming a part of America&amp;#039;s diet,&amp;quot; explains The Atlantic. Re-sellers \u2014 called &amp;quot;salvage stores&amp;quot; \u2014 have seen sales increase over the last few years. At food banks, there has been a 40 percent increase in demand for these items, according to Feeding America. More From Delish: 10 Easy Dinners That Make Awesome Leftovers  So what about the safety of these foods. Are they fit for consumption? Overdue foods have a stamp of approval from the FDA. According to The Atlantic, &amp;quot;The government agency decided that expiration dates are simply an indication of optimum quality as deemed by the manufacturer.&amp;quot; That&amp;#039;s good news for those of us who have stockpiles of canned tuna, soups, tomatoes, salad dressings, and other shelf-stable items. According to Dr. Ted Labuza, professor of food science at the University of Minnesota, many of those foods can be consumed years after their stamped date. What&amp;#039;s your thought on expired foods? What should the supermarkets do with them? "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.delish.com/food/news/a38831/expired-supermarket-foods/>