Labelling scheme not working as intended: Too much food is being thrown out
Far too much food is being thrown out, even though there’s nothing wrong with it.
In an attempt to cut down on waste, retailers label a wide range of food products ’best before’ instead of specifying an expiry date, including produce that may change consistency or taste after the stipulated date, but do not pose any threat in terms of food safety. The purpose of the scheme is to improve opportunities for consumers to assess the quality of products past the ’best before’ date.
Unfortunately, retailers still discard a great deal of food as soon as it passes the date stipulated. According to the Committee for a Sustainable Nordic Region, the culprit is the labelling guidelines, which require retailers to determine whether the product is still safe to eat, a decision that sometimes requires unsealing the packaging, which makes the item unsaleable.
We shouldn’t throw food out until we’ve established that it is actually inedible, and we think that should be the consumer’s responsibility, which was the original intention when the scheme was introduced. It would be good for the climate, the environment and the economy.
The Committee decided unanimously to propose that the Nordic Council of Ministers change the guidelines to give consumers the opportunity to assess whether a ’best before’ product is still edible. It also thinks shops should be required to lower the price as the date approaches or has passed.
