Food

Whether to allow food posts is a decision for the local moderating team. Food meets the requirement of being free, legal and appropriate for all ages, but some moderators feel that open food is too risky - opened containers could have spoiled or been contaminated with other ingredients such as nuts, to which some people are highly allergic. Each community should set its own policy.

Worth considering:

• whether the food is sealed
• whether it's in date - noting the difference between a use by date, which shouldn't be exceeded, and a best before date, which is more of a recommendation and doesn't mean the food is unfit to eat

Whether food has been illegally imported might also be worth considering. This is a comprehensive guide: http://foodimports.direct.gov.uk/index.html

Food isn't always used for human consumption:

• food and its packaging can have other uses, such as arts and crafts
• baby formula is sometimes used as fish or rat food
• cola can be used to remove limescale, and in various science projects
• any organic matter can be used for composting

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