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Days are numbered for "sell by" dates in war on food waste
by Vincent Moss - 19/04/2011
"“Best before” dates on food are being scrapped to cut Britain’s £6billion waste mountain."
Ministers reckon they encourage people to throw away food that is fine to eat and will urge shops to use a simple “use by” date instead.
Confusion over the labels is reckoned to be one reason why 5.3 million tonnes of edible food and drink are thrown away every year.
The Government want a “risk-based approach” with labels explaining the danger of eating old food.
Brits are reckoned to throw out 5,500 whole chickens, 440,000 ready meals, 5.1 million potatoes and 1.6 million bananas every day.
How long food lasts graphic
Ministers will urge manufacturers to scrap “sell by” and “display until” dates which exist largely to help shops control stock levels.
The Government hope the shake-up will cut the huge amount of food dumped in landfill sites just because it has passed its “best before” date.
Fish, prawns and eggs will have to carry detailed labels warning of risks if eaten past a certain date.
But shops will be urged to put one simple “use by” label on most other food, say Whitehall sources.
Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman’s department will spearhead the move, to be announced within the next month. Ministers will insist the plan will cut waste and ease the burden of red tape on retailers.
Households in the UK throw away 8.3 million tonnes of food and drink every year, 5.3 million tonnes of which could have been eaten, say the Waste and Resources Action Programme. The Government-backed group estimate that the average family with children throw away a fifth of the food and drink they buy, wasting £680 a year.
Part of the problem is “buy-one-get-one-free” offers, prompting shoppers to purchase too much.
An Environment Department spokesman said: “By law pre-packed food must show a ‘best before’ date, even though many foods are still safe to eat after that date. This is very different from the ‘use by’ date that shows when food is no longer safe and should be thrown away. Being clear on the difference could help reduce waste.”
More Details: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/04/17/days-are-numbered-for-sell-by-dates-in-war-on-food-waste-115875-23066503/
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