Simplification Of Food Labels Might Help Cut Down Kitchen Waste In Britain

After Singapore getting stringent with its food labelling, Britain too seems to be following suit. According to UK publication Which, about 7.3 million tonnes of household food is wasted in the country and keeping this in mind the food packaging guidelines is undergoing a major change by simplifying food labelling. Another publication, Metro says that a new guidance has been introduced by the food advisory Wrap.

The New Packaging Guidelines

The packaging will have snowflakes logo on foods which should be frozen and a blue fridge logo for the ones to be stored in the refrigerator according to Metro. This, the publication says includes apples which are otherwise stored in cupboards reducing their shelf life. On the other hand, people believe that bread lasts in the fridge whereas it should be kept in a cupboard.

Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey told the publication, “We know that confusing labels can contribute to food waste by suggesting that edible items need to be thrown away sooner than is necessary. This new guidance will make packaging much clearer for consumers, saving them money and reducing waste.” The food labelling in India had seen a shift owing to food safety and it seems more and more countries are undergoing similar changes.

Other changes include putting ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates on foods like pasteurised fruits and hard cheeses. Marcus Gover, CEO at WRAP told the publication, “A key way to help reduce household food waste is to give people as long as possible to use the food they buy. Telling people clearly how long a product can be consumed once opened, and giving consistent and simple information about storing and freezing, will help people keep their food fresher for longer, and give more options to freeze the food and use it later- rather than binning food that could have been eaten.”