Date labelling guidance will cut food waste

The document, entitled Guidance on the application of date labels to food, encourages the food industry not to use display until and sell by dates, neither of which are legally required but are used by retailers for stock control.

Instead, it says food packaging should only carry a best before or use by date the former shows when the date when a food is no longer in optimum condition but is still safe to eat, the latter is for highly perishable food, where it may be unsafe to use after the date shown.

The guidance is also designed so the food industry can develop more detailed advice for their specific products that minimises confusion for consumers and food waste while keeping food safe.

It was produced in consultation with food manufacturers, supermarkets, trade associations, consumer groups and food law enforcement bodies and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).

According to WRAP research, confusion over date labelling is one of the causes of the 5.3 million tonnes of avoidable household food waste created each year.

However, as indicated in April 2011 (see letsrecycle.com story) the department has steered clear of legislating on the issue.

Spelman

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said: We want to end the food labelling confusion and make it clear once and for all when food is good and safe to eat. This simpler and safer date labelling guide will help households cut down on the 12 billion worth of good food that ends up in the bin.

Liz Redmond, head of hygiene and microbiology at the Food Standards Agency, said: There is a lot of confusion amongst customers about date marks. A number of different dates can be found on our food, so we need to make sure that everyone knows the difference between them. We always emphasise that use by dates are the most important, as these relate to food safety.

This new guidance will give greater clarity to the food industry on which date mark should be used on their products while maintaining consumer protection.

FDF

However, while it welcomed the guidance, the Food and Drink Federation noted that WRAP research had shown there was also confusion over the difference between use by and best before, which meant there was still a significant challenge around consumer understanding.

FDF director of food safety and science, Barbara Galliani, said: FDF fully supports the continued use of use by and best before date marking as these provide very valuable information for consumers on product safety and quality and we encourage our members to apply best practice when deciding on the most appropriate labelling for a specific product.

However, as research from WRAP suggests, shoppers are still confused by the difference between use by and best before, meaning that there is a significant challenge around consumer understanding.