A new reminder note appeared on the website of Ministry of Health who, in his campaign for food safety, paid attention to tortelloni for a “communication error“. The product, in fact, was reported due to the wrong expiry date, thus leading the pasta manufacturing company to take action to clarify what happened.
Tortelloni with incorrect expiry date
At the center of the recall note published on the website of the Ministry of Health which deals with withdrawals and recalls for the food safety of Italians are the Primia brand tortelloni with ricotta and spinach. These are tortelloni produced by Reggiana Gourmet SRL, a company that produces in via Caduti sul Lavoro in Sorbolo Mezzani, in the province of Parma.
The recalled product is the one with a production batch 24123 and identification mark of the establishment IT H2R2H CE. In the note published on the site we read the reasons for the recall: “Indication of a expiration date higher than the actual onedue to a printing error: the correct expiry date of the product is 01/07/2024, instead of 01/07/2027″.
Therefore, as a precaution and in order to avoid consuming the product beyond its shelf life, each consumer is invited to return it to the point of sale where it was purchased or, alternatively, not to consume it beyond the actual expiry date, for the precisely 01/07/2024.
The difference between consuming “within” or “preferably”
A wording, that of the expiry date, that all consumers read on the packaging of products before purchasing them, to understand if the “deadline” date is near or the purchase can be exploited in the long term. And many times we find ourselves faced with a double wording: to be consumed “by” or “preferably by”. But what's the difference?
The terms are used to give consumption times to the product, beyond the deadline the food could suffer in quality and cause health problems.
Specifically, the terminology “preferably I come in” indicates that the food can still be consumed after the indicated date if the storage conditions specified in the instructions have been respected and the packaging is intact. The organoleptic qualities of the product, however, may have been affected. It appears on a wide range of refrigerated, frozen, dried (pasta, rice) and canned food products.
Differently, however, the direct terminology “within” appears on quickly perishable foods such as meat or fish. These foods must not be consumed beyond the date indicated on the product and, once opened, they should be consumed no later than three days.
Controls by the Ministry of Health
Food safety is an aspect that is put first by the Ministry of Health which monitors as best it can the quality of products sold in supermarkets. Specifically, this mechanism is possible thanks to food sector operators (FBOs) who have the obligation to inform their customers of the non-conformity found in the foods they place on the market and to withdraw a product from the market if it is not in line .
In addition to the recall, if the product has already been sold to the consumer, the FBO must carry out the recall, i.e. it must inform consumers about the products at risk, also through signage to be placed in the points of sale, and publish the recall in the specific area of the portal of the Ministry of Health.
