The economic crisis has reached the tables of Italians, threatening the health of the inhabitants of a beautiful country that is trying to get out of a difficult and confusing financial situation. Last year, six out of ten Italians ate expired foods, which is a very alarming echo of the crisis that engulfed the country.
That is the conclusion that the researchers of Coldiretti came to, having recently summed up the results of an online survey. Moreover, almost 34 percent of those polled admitted that they were putting food on the table whose shelf life was running out or even expired, while 15 percent of Italians said that they ate food that was worth eating more than two weeks ago . 2 percent of those interviewed indicated in the questionnaire that they never check the shelf life of products when going to the store and before using them.
In general, as Coldiretti warns, eating expired products can negatively affect your health, not to mention that you will hardly get pleasure from a meal that includes spoiled elements: they lose not only their taste characteristics but also nutritious.
Coldiretti also argues that the current trend clearly shows how much the Italian people have been affected by the economic crisis.
So, in 2013, Italians became less likely to buy fruits and vegetables: each average family in a year acquired about 320 kilograms of nature's gifts, which is one hundred kilograms less than in the previous year. The Italian national statistics agency even stated that 16.8 percent of the country's population cannot afford protein-rich foods every two days.
However, the Italian Ministry of Health has previously warned that today there is only a small number of products whose shelf life has not changed: fresh milk (7 days) and eggs (28 days). As for the remaining edible products, their shelf life is set in accordance with several factors, such as the type of processing, the type of raw material, the packaging method.
That is why very often customers can stumble upon products with different expiration dates. One way or another, doctors strongly recommend eating foods immediately after their purchase.
The temptation to eat spoiled foods is often dictated by the desire to cut food costs, Coldiretti explains. This is the goal followed by more than 73 percent of Italians surveyed. However, this is not the best way out: after saving a certain amount on quality products, it is likely that you will spend it on your treatment for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as gastritis or ulcers.
That is why Coldiretti urges citizens of Italy to take care of their health and use exclusively fresh products, most of which can be purchased in local markets at a reduced price.
