In September 2022, a Food Standards Agency (FSA) survey found 32% of respondents had eaten food past its use by date because they couldn’t afford to buy more food.
As a food safety professional, it is frightening – and on a human level, saddening – to hear grocery inflation is driving people to make choices that may put themselves or their families at risk.
There are alternative ways to avoid food waste without consumers making decisions about what they eat, and how they store and cook food, that are in direct conflict with the science of food safety. Here’s what we would suggest.
Reviewing ‘use by’ dates
’Use by’ dates are used globally to indicate when the product is no longer safe to consume, while ‘best before’ dates and ‘display until’ dates are commonly used to reflect best food quality.
An evaluation of whether existing use by dates can be extended, without impacting food safety, is something that should be explored across the industry. Many of the food and beverage items in our cupboards could likely have extended use by dates if shelf life safety buffers were reduced, without leading to additional risk.
Reconsidering ‘best before’
The true need for using any labels other than use by dates should be reconsidered. In particular, the launch of ‘look, smell, taste, don’t waste’ initiatives is praiseworthy, because it reduces reliance on dates to determine when food is safe to consume.
That said, placing science in the hands of a consumer is concerning, as it relies on informed sensory skills to determine if food is fit for consumption. As such, where this kind of labelling is applied it should include the information necessary for consumers to determine what ‘unsafe’ looks, tastes and smells like.
Supporting consumers
Food safety goes beyond expiry dates. Cooking and storage instructions are also developed through science, with the specific product composition in mind. Hence, consumers must be clear that such information is a critical component of food safety and cannot be taken as a recommendation. Changing storage temperatures, or reducing cooking heat or time, could compromise the safety of food.
Therefore, the industry needs to focus on simplifying the message to ensure consumers are informed, and that they understand what is critical in the name of science and safety of the food they eat.
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