WI calls on supermarkets to regulate food use-by date advice because it ‘confuses’ shoppers
Experts claim that extending the period that products can be stored and eaten by just one day could prevent 250,000 tonnes of food waste a year
CONFLICTING "use-by" labels on products are confusing shoppers and leading to huge levels of food waste, the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI) has claimed.
Tins, jars and bottles of food carry completely different information on how long the food inside will last once it is opened.
For example, the "eat-by" or "use-by" date on a jar of mango chutney from Patak's is six months.
But on Morrisons' own-brand jar of chutney the label says three months, and on Sainsbury's' jar it's four weeks.
This is despite the fact that the product inside the jars is the same.
A tin of Princes tinned tuna in brine carries a label advising customers to eat the product within two days after opening, but the label on Morrisons' own-brand tinned tuna says it needs to be eaten within just one day.
The WI said that the "once-opened" instructions on food packaging did not make clear whether they were recommendations around food safety, or food quality.
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It also found that big brands were more likely to recommend customers can store and use products for a longer period.
The organisation says supermarkets and manufacturers must come up with a standard system to help cut down on the huge amount of food waste every year.
Experts claim that extending the period that products can be stored and eaten by just one day could prevent 250,000 tonnes of food waste a year.
Heinz says its tomato ketchup can be used for up to eight weeks after being opened, while Waitrose's own-brand version carries a label saying it must be used within six weeks.
The experts at Good Housekeeping say tomato ketchup can be safely eaten up to three months after opening, although it MUST be kept in the fridge.
For mayonnaise and even mustard, the advice is the same – in the fridge but not for more than three months.
A survey conducted by the WI on 5,000 of its members found that only 45 per cent of people understood that "best before" dates were an indicator of food quality, and 26 per cent did not understand that "use-by" dates were a marker of food safety.
Marylyn Haines-Evans, chairman for public affairs at the NFWI, said: “We would like supermarkets to extend the amount of time that consumers have to use a product in their homes by making all of their ‘once-opened’ instructions on product packaging consistent and reflective of the true full open-life of the product.
"We would like for all once-opened instructions to be completely removed on products where food safety is not an issue.
“Whilst many supermarkets have made important steps towards phasing out multibuys on their shelves, and introducing limited wonky vegetables to cut down on food waste, these confusing and often conflicting labels must be changed to provide standardised information that everyone can understand.”
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