Too much food is thrown away just because it has reached the 'best before' date.
Currently the EU requires that all packaged foods have a best before date, but there isgrowing pressure to loosen up the rules and potentially ban best before dates on shelf-stable foods. Due to pressure from the Dutch and Swedish agriculture ministers, a working group has been created by the European Commission (EU executive body) to examine the issue of best before dates; a report on food sustainability is supposed to be published at the end of this month.
Shelf-stable foods, such as pasta, rice, flour, and coffee, do not go bad after a given date, but simply cease to be as fresh. ‘Best before’ really just means “not of ideal quality, but still edible.” The Commission, however, estimates that only 50 percent of Europeans correctly understand its meaning, and are further confused by all the other terms out there, like ‘use by,’ ‘sell by,’ and ‘freeze by.’ By banning best before dates on pantry staples, it is hoped that people will use foods longer before throwing them out.
These proposed regulations make me think of my frugal mother, who always said that if there’s mold on cheese, yogurt, or jam, you just cut out the moldy bit and keep eating. Moldy bread gets trimmed and pulverized into breadcrumbs. If there are weevils in the flour, you can sift them out. By contrast, I have a dear friend who threw out multiple jars of natural peanut butter because the oil separated and “it had gone bad.” I was speechless with horror when I heard that.
Read more: http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/europe-thinks-its-time-best-dates-expire.html
