Choosing food

What to look for when choosing and buying food.

Theory and discussion only · Community education, not accredited training

Allergies, swallowing concerns, prescribed diets and other health needs require advice from the relevant qualified practitioner.

Key takeaways

01Labels show ingredients, allergens, storage instructions, date marks and cooking instructions.
02A ‘use by’ date is about safety; a ‘best before’ date is about quality.
03Damaged packaging, or chilled food that isn’t being kept cold, are reasons to choose something else.

In this course

01Reading a food label

Ingredients and allergen statements, for anyone with a food allergy
Storage instructions, especially whether the food needs refrigeration
The date mark, such as a ‘use by’ date
Cooking instructions, which FSANZ says to follow without short cuts

02Use-by and best-before dates

Use by: a safety date. Don’t eat the food after it
Best before: a quality date. Food can still be sold after it if fit to eat
Bread that keeps under seven days may show a ‘baked on’ or ‘baked for’ date
Foods that keep two years or more, like canned food, need no best-before date

03Checking packaging and condition

Cans that are swollen, leaking, rusty or badly dented
Broken tamper seals or damaged seams
Damage noticed at home: return it to the store or call the manufacturer

04Buying chilled and frozen food

Don’t buy ‘keep refrigerated’ items that aren’t being kept cold, and tell the store
Keep hot foods apart from chilled and frozen food on the way home
Pack raw meat, poultry and seafood in a separate, leak-proof bag
Put chilled and frozen food away as soon as you get home

05Choosing food for other people

When we choose food for someone else, their needs come first. FSANZ suggests checking ingredients and allergen statements for anyone with a food allergy, and avoiding higher-risk foods for people vulnerable to illness.

Talk it over

Which parts of a food label do you usually read? Which do you skip?
How are food dates shown in other countries you know? What is different here?
Why might a swollen or dented can be a concern?
What would you think about when choosing food for a guest or a neighbour?

Reflect

Think about how you usually shop for food. What would you keep the same, and what might you change?

Whose food needs do you think about when you shop, and how do you find out what they need?