the best-before mythology

In the UK, nearly 400,000 tonnes of food is misguidedly thrown away each year after passing its best-before date. In monetary figures this amounts to £424 worth of food being thrown away by each adult.And despite all the information being thrown at the public to use materials more efficiently, the situation appears to be getting worse. According to WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) domestic waste is increasing each year by 1-2% and overall there is an estimated 5.4 million tonnes of food thrown away in Britain each year.

Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is calling for supermarkets and food manufacturers to scrap the use of best-before and sell-by dates on food packaging. In an interview with Roses for Arcadie Mr Benn MP spelt out the seriousness of the problem and stated the first step to reducing waste is to educate society to 'reduce less and recycle more.'

'It's about changing attitudes' he said, 'Millions of tonnes are going to landfill and there it converts into greenhouse gases and adds to the climate problem. It's not just costing us money; it's costing us the earth.'

'One of the things we need to do is think about why customers are confused by labelling on food. Use-by dates are a necessity as they are about food safety, but best-before and sell-by are more about food quality and are there to help stores manage stock effectively.'

Campaigners assert that supermarkets are in favour of the current system as the more food that gets wasted by the consumer means the more they are likely spend. The big retailers are however beginning to show some responsibility in combating the issue. Recent experiments at Sainsbury’s and Tesco have piloted a 'buy one now, get one later' initiative where customers receive a coupon at the checkout and return to the store at a later date to collect the second item.

Food waste will never go away, it is a natural outcome of modern society. But for Mr Benn MP finding alternatives to landfill is key to for a more sustainable future. 'I don't want to see us any more plough waste into landfill. An increasing number of local authorities are now collecting food waste and turning it into compost. Really usefully though you can turn it into renewable energy - biogas and electricity.'

'I shall be consulting just after Christmas to moving to fate where then after we will no longer put food waste into landfill as it doesn't make sense.'

To listen to the interview in full click here