Food and how humans relate to it are endlessly discussed by the news media. Shelf Life Advice has put together the following short survey of mostly recent ideas and advice to help people cope with the challenges, temptations, and ethical dilemmas that food presents us with.  If you love meat but hate the idea of an animal dying to be your dinner, two of these pieces have somewhat comforting content. If you want to lose weight, the other two offer valuable tips. Shelf Life Advice presents just a brief taste (excuse the pun) of the information in each source. To locate the entire article or interview, click on the link or (for the ones not available online) go to a nearby library, bookstore, or news stand.  Okay, let’s dig in.

The answer to the title question is “Probably.” What we’re talking about here are pieces of food bound together with a product made from an enzyme or animal blood components. The product can make a collection of pieces of meat, chicken, or fish look like one solid piece.  What foods are made that way? Here are some of the most common: chicken nuggets, imitation crab sticks, fish balls, and beef filets that look like filet mignon. In the food industry, this material that holds pieces together is commonly referred to as “meat glue.” Products made with meat “glue” are sold in grocery stores, served in restaurants, and, if your friends are gourmet chefs, may even be in an appetizer or entrée at a home dinner party.  Should you be concerned about consuming glued-together products? Probably not. However, many consumers worry about health risks, and others find the whole concept “yucky.”

Meat glue has been used in foods for many years and for many purposes, so why is it in the news now?  Recently, an Australian TV show, Today Tonight, highlighted a demonstration showing how the glue makes separate chunks of beef look like a solid filet.  After this TV presentation, the clip was uploaded to YouTube (on April 2, 2011), and it circulated widely. Then, many horrified viewers expressed their disgust on numerous blogs and websites. In contrast, others wrote that they thought the process was “cool” and/or a clever way to cut down on food waste. (For example, an article on the blog boingboing, is entitled “Meat glue sounds kind of awesome.”) To view the YouTube video showing how “composite” or “restructured” steaks are created, click on this YouTube link.

Should consumers obey expiration dates and discard food that’s past its “use-by” date? Three journalists recently took up this burning question, answering it with more than a touch of humor. Two of them (writing for the NY Times and the Boston Globe)  interviewed your Shelf Life guru and quoted her.  The third (writing for TIME cnn.com) quoted extensively from this site. All three pieces are fun to read, and the advice therein can also save you some money if you adhere to their message—“use by” dates do NOT mean the product has just turned poisonous and must become trash.

Yes, a cream puff can kill. When cream or custard-filled pastries are kept at room temperature, bacteria multiply rapidly.  Although it seems hard to believe, treats such as éclairs and cannoli can be a menace.  In Rhode Island, in March and early April, Salmonella-tainted pastries  (including an Italian pastry called “zeppole”) from DeFusco’s Bakery in Johnston were the probable cause of  66 cases of food-borne illness. Of these victims, 28 were hospitalized and two have died.