{"id":834,"date":"2011-09-29T12:55:16","date_gmt":"2011-09-29T12:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vwa.co.uk\/blog\/?p=834"},"modified":"2025-04-28T14:39:06","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T14:39:06","slug":"date-labelling-responsible-for-12-billion-food-wastage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vwa.co.uk\/blog\/date-labelling-responsible-for-12-billion-food-wastage\/","title":{"rendered":"Date labelling responsible for \u00a312 billion food wastage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As a nation, the UK throws away around 8.3 million tonnes of food per year, much of it unnecessarily. The wastage is caused in part by supermarkets offering \u2018Buy one get one free\u2019 on perishable items, where there is simply too much of the item for the customer to consume. But perhaps the most common reason why food is thrown away is misunderstandings over date labelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Types of date labels<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are four main date labels: \u2018Use by\u2019, \u2018Best Before\u2019, \u2018Display Until\u2019 and \u2018Sell By.\u2019 These are confusing to consumers, with many believing them all to mean the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Use By\u2019<\/strong><\/em> is the most important label of all because after that date, food becomes unsafe to eat. It is often displayed on items such as eggs, soft cheeses, smoked fish and pre-packed salads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Best <\/strong>Before\u2019 is slightly different in that food is at its best before that date, but is still safe to eat a few days afterwards, provided that it has been stored in the correct manner.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Display Until\u2019<\/strong><\/em> and \u2018Sell By\u2019<\/em><\/strong> are coding for retailers to help with stock rotation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New guidelines to scrap confusing labelling<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happily for consumers, the confusion will soon be over since new guidelines have been issued to food and drink manufacturers by DEFRA. These state that only \u2018Use By\u2019 or \u2018Best Before\u2019 labels should appear on packaging. Manufacturers and retailers will need to find alternative methods of stock control now that the \u2018Display Until\u2019 and \u2018Sell By\u2019 dates are to be removed. This move should go some way towards reducing the \u00a312 billion of food which is currently thrown away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What of food which doesn\u2019t come packaged and therefore doesn\u2019t bear any labelling<\/a>, such as meat bought from a local butcher or cold cuts, pies, cakes and cheeses bought from a small delicatessen for example? Generally you would be expected to eat these within two or three days and since they don\u2019t come in airtight packaging they need to be stored in the correct manner in the refrigerator. Smell is also a good indicator of whether something is fit for consumption. Animals always sniff food before they decide whether or not to eat it \u2013 and so should we.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are your packaging claims legal?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is not just date labelling that is confusing to consumers. Every day they are bombarded with messaging claiming that a product is \u2018less than 5% fat\u2019, will \u2018lower cholesterol\u2019, is \u2018low sugar\u2019, or \u2018low calorie\u2019, \u2018produced in England\u2019, \u201860% pork\u2019, \u201875% of RDA\u2019 etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manufacturers have a responsibility to ensure that the messaging printed on their packaging is clear and truthful. Our Legal Labelling course <\/a> is designed to give delegates a working knowledge of legislative requirements for food composition and labelling. It covers the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n