Dumpster bananas

The succes of the ultimate banana bread: the riper the bananas, the better. A while ago, a friend took me on a dumpster diving trip. Every day, stores throw away tons perfectly edible food because of strict food safety laws, confusing labels, aesthetic requirements or people’s expectations on how a product should be.

A frequent wasted product are bananas. They’re thrown in the dumpster just because they’re brown and people expect yellow bananas. Although bananas with spickled, brown and even black peel are still perfectly edible. They have more flavour and can perfectly used for baking. Banana bread, sourdough pancakes and waffles are my favourits, but these bananas also do great in smoothies, pudding or just simply mashed on bread. Want to keep them for longer? Cut the bananas in pieces and freeze to make nicecream.

Side note: Best before dates versus use-by dates.

Use-by dates: These dates are about food safety regulations. Foods cannot be consumed without risk after this date. They’re therefore the most importent to adhere to. These dates appear on products like fish, meat and pre-packed salads.

Best before end (BBE): This date is about quality standards. After this date, the manufacturer can’t assure textures and flavours of the product. Most often, they’re still good for consumption. Use your senses when dealing with BBE dates. Products with BBE dates are mainly frozen, dried and tinned products.

Of course storing foods in the proper way prolongs their shelf life! You can find more detailed information on food labeling here.