Inherent dangers in consuming expired products

MANY Nigerians are not in the habit of checking products’ expiry dates. For those who do, they do only for consumables (mostly food and drugs). In fact, when it comes to cosmetics, toiletries, insecticides, disinfectants, body spray and other personal care products, the checking of the expiry dates on the product label is not taken seriously, yet the consequences of consuming or using any expired product can result in serious complications. When expired edibles are consumed, the consequential effect may not instantly manifest but it certainly does with time. No doubt, we are what we consume! We are a reflection of what we daily feed the body with, whether internally or externally. To a large extent, a man’s health is determined by his nutrition nourished, undernourished or malnourished. The reason is not farfetched. The Greek physician, Hippocrates, who is regarded as the Father of Medicine, in 390 BC established the strong nexus between food and medicine, and came up with a medical advice which has now become a general quote: Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.

ALSO READ: Kashamu, Abati to fly PDP flag for governorship in Ogun

It is scary to bring to note that while concerned agencies are making efforts to thwart activities of peddlers of expired products, some relabeled expired food and drugs would have made their ways to the markets without the agencies’ knowledge. Only the perpetrators nabbed in these nefarious acts made the news. So the big question is: how do consumers identify and recognize relabeled or revalidated food and drugs? Let us now attempt some answers to that multimillion naira poser. Expiry dates and best-before dates are dates which are interchangeably being used by manufacturers to convey a date when a product is at its peak performance or no longer fit to consume. Technically, there is a slight difference: Expiry dates show the last day that is expected for a product to be used or consumed, while best-before date indicates that as from that date, the product’s freshness along with its quality is no longer guaranteed. Expiry date of a product is safety-based, while the best-before date is quality driven. Both are however important no matter which terminology or wording is used by the manufacturer’s label on the product.

A product’s expiry date or best-before date is usually determined by the shelf life of that product. According to a US Food and Administration website, a product’s shelf life generally means the length of time you can expect a product to look and act as expected and stay safe for use. The length of time varies depending on the type of product, how it is used and how it is stored. Personal care products, cosmetics, daily needs, foods, beverages, drugs, toiletries and other consumables and perishables all have varying shelf lives based on product content, raw material quality and sanitary conditions. Temperature, water and air are the main factors which determine the storage and shelf life of a product. For example, drugs are to be kept in a cool and dry place in order to take care of temperature and moisture exposure. Expiry date label on products only holds true for unopened or sealed products but when a sealed product has been opened the best-before date can no longer be relied on.

It is observed that some personal care products like cosmetics, perfumed body spray, makeup and moisturizers, apart from the expiration dates printed on the products label, still have some symbols stamped on them, providing more information on the product’s shelf life. Some cosmetics and body spray containers have a little jar icon having a symbol PAO (Period After Opening) which tells that product’s shelf life after opening. This PAO is often shown in months and appears as number followed by letter M printed on that open jar icon or below it. This is commonly seen in lotion and shower gel bottles. The period-after-opening (PAO) symbol shows cosmetic product useful lifetime after first opening.

The need for expiry date label checks cannot be overemphasized as consumers are duty-bound to check product expiry dates of food and drugs before purchase and consumption. Foods, particularly poultry and meat, taken well past their expiry may trigger food poisoning and result in symptoms like fever, vomiting, cramping in stomach area, dehydration and diarrhea. However, some expired products will pose no health problems if consumed; rather they degrade to a lower quality depending on the food type. A school of thought believes that the effectiveness of a drug may decrease overtime but much of the original potency still remains even a decade after the expiration date. Some drugs (especially liquid drugs and antibiotics) are excluded from this category of active drugs after expiry. This is because their potency ends at expiration. Other experts advise consumers to discard all expired drugs despite post-expiration potency to avoid any risk of health challenges from expired drug consumption.

Consuming expired products, especially edibles leads to food poisoning which includes diarrhea, burning sensation in the abdomen and chest, difficulty in swallowing, abdominal cramps, mild fever, nausea and headache among others. The government also, through its ministries and agencies is urged to collaborate with other relevant authorities to sensitize the general public on the dangers inherent in consuming expired products. This way, Nigeria and indeed Nigerians can boast of a healthy citizenry and bolstered economy. It is therefore important and cautious to note that what we consume may either be the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison. Hence, the need for regular checks on the expiry dates of products before consumption.