Tim Tebow speaks at the annual Southwest Florida Community Prayer BreakfastFort Myers City Council to provide update on Fowler Street construction project
FORT MYERS Tim Tebow speaks at the annual Southwest Florida Community Prayer Breakfast Former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow took the stage at Hammond Stadium for the annual Southwest Florida Community Prayer Breakfast.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers City Council to provide update on Fowler Street construction project The Fort Myers City Council is set to provide an update on the progress of the Fowler Street intersection project.
the weather authority Hot and humid Thursday before evening isolated storms impact coastal communities The Weather Authority is tracking a humid Thursday morning with high afternoon temperatures and evening coastal isolated storms.
Jacksonville Gov. DeSantis to hold a news conference in Jacksonville Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Jacksonville.
FORT MYERS BEACH Sea turtle nesting season begins in Fort Myers Beach Sea turtle nesting season has officially begun, and the FWC wants to remind visitors about the fragility of the young reptiles.
BAREFOOT LAKE Neighbors react to chaos at Barefoot Lake Imagine being scared to leave your home on the weekends. Ana and Anrik understand the feeling all too well.
CAPE CORAL The story of Ollie’s Pub and what kept it open through years of hardships Before Ollie’s housed weekly events, packed to the brim with artwork and home to many, it was a simple dream and an empty space.
Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for May 1, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for May 1, 2024.
FORT MYERS BEACH Remembering Fort Myers Beach ‘Mayor’ Brad Benson To know Brad Benson was to know a legend. He recently passed away at the age of 71 after battling health issues.
CAPE CORAL Proposed Cape Coral City Council meeting time change fails In a 4 to 4 vote, the motion to move Cape Coral meeting times from 4:30 to 9 a.m. failed.
Greater Dunbar initiative begins A duplex that has been around since the 1960s and is filled with generations of memories is being demolished.
Caught on camera: funnel clouds, hail and more during thunderstorm Wednesday’s thunderstorms storms have produced hail and funnel clouds.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New mammography guidelines Breast cancer is much easier to treat when it’s caught early.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral church picking up the pieces after massive fire Calvary Connection ministries is unrecognizable after a massive fire swept through a Cape Coral Complex on Monday.
CAPE CORAL Day Two of FEMA code compliance hearings in Cape Coral Another 50 people were summoned Wednesday for the second day of code compliance hearings before the special magistrate.
FORT MYERS Tim Tebow speaks at the annual Southwest Florida Community Prayer Breakfast Former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow took the stage at Hammond Stadium for the annual Southwest Florida Community Prayer Breakfast.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers City Council to provide update on Fowler Street construction project The Fort Myers City Council is set to provide an update on the progress of the Fowler Street intersection project.
the weather authority Hot and humid Thursday before evening isolated storms impact coastal communities The Weather Authority is tracking a humid Thursday morning with high afternoon temperatures and evening coastal isolated storms.
Jacksonville Gov. DeSantis to hold a news conference in Jacksonville Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Jacksonville.
FORT MYERS BEACH Sea turtle nesting season begins in Fort Myers Beach Sea turtle nesting season has officially begun, and the FWC wants to remind visitors about the fragility of the young reptiles.
BAREFOOT LAKE Neighbors react to chaos at Barefoot Lake Imagine being scared to leave your home on the weekends. Ana and Anrik understand the feeling all too well.
CAPE CORAL The story of Ollie’s Pub and what kept it open through years of hardships Before Ollie’s housed weekly events, packed to the brim with artwork and home to many, it was a simple dream and an empty space.
Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for May 1, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for May 1, 2024.
FORT MYERS BEACH Remembering Fort Myers Beach ‘Mayor’ Brad Benson To know Brad Benson was to know a legend. He recently passed away at the age of 71 after battling health issues.
CAPE CORAL Proposed Cape Coral City Council meeting time change fails In a 4 to 4 vote, the motion to move Cape Coral meeting times from 4:30 to 9 a.m. failed.
Greater Dunbar initiative begins A duplex that has been around since the 1960s and is filled with generations of memories is being demolished.
Caught on camera: funnel clouds, hail and more during thunderstorm Wednesday’s thunderstorms storms have produced hail and funnel clouds.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA New mammography guidelines Breast cancer is much easier to treat when it’s caught early.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral church picking up the pieces after massive fire Calvary Connection ministries is unrecognizable after a massive fire swept through a Cape Coral Complex on Monday.
CAPE CORAL Day Two of FEMA code compliance hearings in Cape Coral Another 50 people were summoned Wednesday for the second day of code compliance hearings before the special magistrate.
MGN FORT MYERS, Fla. – Best by, use by, better enjoyed by are all phrases you may see on the outside of your food followed by a date. So what do these dates mean and can you safely consume the food after the date has passed? We work to decode the truth to those dates. Busy businesswoman, wife and mom of two young girls, Sara Ryan knows how to get the job done in the kitchen. But when it comes to deciphering the labeled dates on her food, she says, it is a mixed bag. For example for things like fresh produce she told us, “I don’t even look at the date, but I do look at the lettuce. And you can tell if it gets yucky or mushy– I just toss it.” But when it comes to perishable items like her meats and dairy products, those labels mean a lot more. “I try to use it the next day [after purchasing] if possible and if I’m not, then I throw it in the freezer until I need it,” she explained. We met up with two experts at Lee Memorial Health System to ask about the importance of those labels. They brought out a mixture of items and we saw a mixture of phrases stamped before the dates. Use/Freeze by Sell by Used by Best before And some products like the yogurts did not have any of those phrases, but just had a date stamped on their packaging. Right now, the federal government does not require foods to have a standard date label or label at all, so each state has its own guidelines. “Hopefully in the future we will have some standardization of these dates so we can really understand if they are use by, best by, freeze by, who knows what they are,” said Heather Wayco, Director of the Clinical Nutrition Department at Lee Memorial Health System. Our experts say a lot those dates on the non-perishable items suggests when the product will lose its quality, but it does not mean the food is unsafe. “Something like a canned good or a pasta, those types of things, do have extended dates on them or best by dates or use by dates. That manufacturer gives us those dates because it guarantees their freshness or their nutrient value up until that date,” explained Wayco. “Now you could eat it after that date because it has little chance to go bad, but the nutrient value may be diminished as well as the quality of the food product and the taste and the texture and those kinds of things.” But it is a different story when it comes to the perishable foods like meats and dairy products. For those products, you want to pay attention to the dates and make sure to use it by that date, or soon after buying. “If you don’t use [meat products] within one to two days of buying in a store, certainly freeze it,” said Tony Harn, the Food Safety and Quality Assurance Manager for Lee Memorial Health System. Freezing your meats will mean a much longer shelf life. “From a food safety standpoint, those [harmful] organisms will no longer grow and reproduce [once it is frozen]. So from a food safety standpoint, while frozen, it’s good forever as long as it’s kept frozen,” said Harn. To see what the USDA recommends on food safety and whether or not your products are still safe to eat, our experts recommend you check out the USDA’s guidelines and check out their FoodKeeper app for your phone.