In an attempt to reduce food waste, a supermarket chain in the UK started selling food that is up to a month beyond its best-before date.

Including tinned goods, such as fruit and beans, dried food such as pasta and rice and packet goods including crisps, confectionery and cereal, shoppers at the Co-op’s 125 East of England stores will be able to buy a range of out of date products for just 10p.

TO REDUCE FOOD WASTE

Whilst ‘use-by’ date labels indicate when a product is safe to eat, ‘best before’ date labels only refer to when food is at its best. This scheme does not include products with a ‘Use By’ date, including meat, fish and dairy.
While a large amount of waste includes perishable items that are no longer safe for human consumption, it is thought the confusing labelling system means a huge amount of perfectly edible food goes in the bin.

The Food Standards Agency advises that products past their best before date are safe to consume but may not be of the optimum quality.