The end of best before dates?
Posted by Deborah Read on Tuesday 19 April 2011 in Home and Garden
In a word.... no. The government have worked with supermarkets in order to try to cut household waste. Currently UK households waste about £680 on food every year, believing it to be off when really, it's perfectly fine to eat. So what are Best Before dates? According to the Food Standards Agency, Best Before dates are to show consumers when food will begin to lose its flavour and texture. However, many consumers believe that the Best Before dates actually state when the food is no longer suitable to eat. This causes food to be thrown away unnecessarily by consumers who are confused over labelling. However, use by dates, sell by and display until dates will continue to be in use. Use By dates are placed on more perishable foods such as meats, yoghurts and dairy products. These are to tell consumers when food is no longer safe to consume. Meanwhile, sell by and display until dates are used for supermarkets to keep control of their stock. However, do consumers really differentiate between all this differing information? There is also confusing information regarding best before dates. Whilst many maintain that food can be eaten after it's best before date, one exception to this rule is eggs, which cannot. Therefore there is a chance that consumers will feel overwhelmed by all the differential labelling on food. Another factor in the battle against food wastage is how consumers buy their food. Buy one get one free offers often encourage consumers to buy more than they can eat, and many consumers have lost the ability to cook food from scratch. This can mean more wastage in food. There is little information on what will replace Best Before labelling or even if it would just complicate matters further. However, to reduce food waste, the government should look not only at food labelling but also at how comsumers shop. This way, understanding food wastage and tackling it becomes a lot clearer. Interested? Discuss this further on Facebook.
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