In the UK it is estimated that 140 meals per person (70kg) are wasted each year and that 70 per cent of wasted food comes from the home, mainly from fresh fruit and vegetables.
Additionally, those statistics do not take into account the inordinate waste created by enveloping fruit and vegetables in single-use plastic. WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), a sustainable charity, has made recommendations to amend food labelling, and estimated that if the food industry followed these, it would save 1,110 truck loads of plastic a year. So food waste does affect climate change considerably by increasing the production of greenhouse gases.
Does the confusion over the dates on the food we buy add to this waste? Most probably.
‘Best Before End’ (BBE) dates relates to food quality not necessarily how long it lasts. So the food may not be at its freshest but is perfectly edible after that date. We should use our common sense, our eyes and our noses to check out the items! For instance, WRAP reports that UK households waste 51,000 tonnes of yogurt a year.
‘Use by’ dates are usually found on fresh foods, e.g. meat, dairy, fish and packaged salads, and refers to food being safe to eat and not harmful to human health.
‘Display by’ dates are mainly to do with shops and their stock control, and aren’t used as widely now.
It goes without saying that it is really important to make sure that food is stored, cooked and eaten as instructed on the pack. There’s plenty of guidance on www.food.gov.uk or www.foodsafety.gov/ or www.wrap.org.uk.
Before going shopping, perhaps a quick check of the fridge and veg rack would help in buying only what is needed. It’s all too easy to fall prey to impulse buying! Meal planning would also help to avoid food waste. A concerted effort not to waste food if at all possible (especially when when other parts of the world are struggling for food) would also make a contribution to saving a trolley or two per family of single-use plastic.
