PSA for food service crews: always date the prep containers. We had to trash a full pan of chicken salad cause no one wrote the date. | Behind the Counter - Talk Freely
Sometimes dating stuff just creates more waste lol. I've seen kitchens toss perfectly good chicken salad because the date was old, but it still looked and smelled fine. Relying on the crew's sense and daily checks can actually prevent more waste than strict labeling. That pan might have been saved with a quick taste test instead of a thrown-out rule.
Training staff to trust their senses with daily checks could prevent a lot of good food from getting tossed. It comes down to having a crew that's alert and can make smart calls on the spot. Dates are useful, but they shouldn't override common sense when something still looks and smells okay.