Do we need Best Before?

It is now well known that a significant amount of the food which is produced each year is thrown away throughout the process or in our homes.

Depending upon where in the food process we are, as to the possible solutions to this ridiculous waste of money and resources.

In the home, one of the most obvious is to not buy food whch is not needed, another is to not throw away food which can be used even after it has gone past it’s marked date.

There are two dates seen on foods which have an impact on whether we throw out the food or use it.

Use By Dates are about the safety of the food, and it is not safe to use the food after the date shown. This is because the amount of bacteria in the food after that date will be so high that it is likely that anyone eating it will get sick. It is therefore illegal for food businesses to use or sell product which is past it’s use by date.

So if you have food in your fridge that is past it’s use by date, it must be thrown out. So to minimise the likelihood of having to throw out such food, only buy what you need and not extra when you don’t plan to use it.

It is important to remember that the marked Use By Date on a food  is only correct if that food has been properly handled. This means that the food must have been held at below 5C at all times, as any time above that temperature means bacteria grows faster and therefore the use by date will no longer apply. The amount of bacteria in this food will be at a point of potentially making people sick at a time sooner than the date shown on the pack.

So to achieve the use by date, we have to keep the food below 5C at all times.

Best Before dated food is a different matter, as it is all about quality of the food. Therefore it will be safe to use or sell after that date, even if above 5C. The quality will decrease the further past the date you go, but it will not make anyone sick. So food can be eaten after that shown date as long as there is no damage to the packaging. If there is any damage to the packaging, the Best Before will not be applicable, and the food must be thrown out has it has most likely been contaminated.

Unfortunately many people do not recognise the important differences between Use By and Best Before Dates and this is contributing to our food waste problem.

People are often thinking that food with a Best Before needs to be thrown out once the date has been reached – this is not so, it only the Use By dated foods which have to be thrown out. The Best Before foods can be used and the only decision which needs to be made is how to use it.

There is discussion happening across the world to remove the legal requirement to place a Best Before date on some foods to make it easier for consumers to recognise that it is only the Use By Date foods which must be thrown out and give people the opportunity to determine what they will do with all other food.

Tesco in the UK is already about to remove the Best Before Date from 70 of it’s branded products and this is most likely the first such move globally. However it will mean that our law will have to change to allow this to happen in Australia.

So food processors and retailers are working to help reduce the huge food waste problem through labelling, it is then up to consumer to do the right thing – only buy what you need and don’t just throw out Best Before marked foods – use them.