government issues labelling guidance to tackle growing food
waste mountain
15 September 2011
The Government has issued new guidance for the food industry on
the use of food label dates amid growing concerns at the amount of
food that is wasted each year by UK households.
According to the Local Government Association UK consumers threw
away £14bn worth of food in 2010.
The guidance places greater emphasis on ‘use by’ or ‘best
before’ dates and discourages the use of “sell by" and "display
until" labels which are primarily used for stock control
purposes.
According to Nina Best, regulatory lawyer at Browne Jacobson,
the guidance reflects draft EU food regulations which provide only
for mandatory use-by dates and omits the requirement for a best
before date to be displayed:
“UK food labelling laws could be much simpler. This guidance is
long overdue and over time it will be reflected in UK law. Any
measure that reduces red tape for manufacturers and retailers will
be welcomed by the industry but companies will have to continue to
ensure customers are provided with any relevant details to ensure
that the food they consume is safe.”