Defra launches guidance on food labelling to combat waste

"We want to end the food labelling confusion and make it clear once and for all when food is good and safe to eat. This simpler and safer date labelling guide will help households cut down on the £12 billion worth of good food that ends up in the bin," Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said.

Defra said the guidance, which was produced in consultation with the food manufacturers, intends to help businesses comply with the law, which requires them to make a technical decision on whether to label their products with 'best before or 'use by’ date.

Small business support

Paticularly aimed at smaller businesses that may not have in-house knowledge or expertise to decide which date marks should apply to which foods, the guidance asks a series of questions around the production of a food product form a microbiological perspective, said Defra. It advises packaging should only carry 'use by’ labels where the food could be unsafe after that date. Defra suggests such food would include soft cheese, ready meals and smoked fish. Most other foods should carry a 'best before’ date only, to indicate the food is still safe to eat, but may not be at its best, said Defra. Such foods would include, biscuits, jams, pickles, crisps and tinned foods.

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) welcomed the new guidance today, but warned there was still a lot of confusion among shoppers about 'use by’ and 'best before’ date labelling.

"We’d like to see more public information around what these labels mean," said an FDF spokesperson.