With 7.2 million tonnes of food and drink, almost half the total food waste in the UK, thrown away from homes each year [1], there is a need to reduce household food waste. About 60% of the food thrown away from households is avoidable, and one of the main reasons that so much food is thrown away is that it isn’t used in time; many people are confused by the different date labels on food packaging [1, 2]. Having the right equipment to help you compost your food waste will help reduce your environmental impact.

Packaging can have three different labels – a “display until” or “sell by” date, a “best before” date and a “use by” date. The display until or sell by date is an instruction to the store selling the product, not the customer [3], so should not be used to determine whether or not food is safe to eat. Some manufacturers are now removing these dates from their packaging to help avoid confusion. For example Warburton’s stopped using these labels in 2010, in line with the rest of the bakery sector [2].

Best before and use by dates are the ones that are important for food consumers. The main difference is that a best before date indicates when food is expected, by the manufacturer, to be at its best quality [4]. The date does not indicate when food becomes unsafe to eat. A use by date, on the other hand, means that food shouldn’t be consumed after this date [4].

Therefore, food eaten past its best before date is not unsafe, but the texture and flavour might have deteriorated [3]. The best before date will only be a useful guide if the food has been stored according to the instructions given. These might include keeping the food in the fridge, or storing it in a cool, dry place [3]. According to the NHS, eggs can safely be eaten a few days past the best before date, as long as they are fully cooked to kill bacteria such as salmonella [3]. As eggs lose freshness, the amount of air inside them increases and therefore they are less likely to sink in water – an easy way to check if an egg is off before cracking the shell open is to put it in a bowl of water. If it sinks with at least part of the egg touching the base of the bowl, it’s fresh enough to use, and if it floats it should not be eaten [5]. To check the level of freshness of an egg, the yolk and white can be inspected. The egg should be broken onto a flat plate (not a bowl). A very fresh egg, which is good for frying and poaching, will have a round, compact yolk that sits high in the middle of the white. A slightly cloudy white is also a sign of freshness, as it is caused by the carbon dioxide that is present when the egg is laid. Less fresh eggs, which can be used in recipes where the texture of the egg is not so important (such as sauces, cakes and omelettes), have flatter yolks which might be easily broken, and thinner whites that spread further over the plate [5].

Use by dates are given on food that goes off quickly, such as meat, soft cheese, freshly prepared salads, milk and yoghurts [3, 6]. The use by date officially means that food should not be used after midnight of that day [7], as using the food after this date may be harmful to health [8]. Foods must be removed from sale once the use by date has passed [4]. The date given will only be valid if storage instructions are followed, including those for after the packaging has been opened [3]. Failure to follow these instructions could cause food to go off more quickly, presenting a risk of food poisoning [8]. The usable life of food with use by dates can be extended by freezing it before the use by date . This can be done on any day up to the use by date, not just on the day of purchase, as long as the food has been stored correctly [2, 8]. It is important to note that while instructions might say that food has to be eaten within a week of opening, if the use by date is less than a week away, the food should still not be used after that date [3, 8].

In summary, best before dates apply to food quality and food can still be used once they have passed, whereas use by dates refer to food safety and food should not be used after these dates [7].

[1] http://england.lovefoodhatewaste.com/content/facts-about-food-waste-0

[2] http://england.lovefoodhatewaste.com/content/how-much-food-wasted-total-across-uk

[3] http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/food-labelling-terms.aspx

[4] http://www.elmbridge.gov.uk/envhealth/food/useby.htm

[5] http://www.helpwithcooking.com/egg-guide/fresh-egg-test.html

[6] http://www.eaststaffsbc.gov.uk/Services/FoodTeam/Pages/UseByandBestBeforeDates.aspx

[7] http://www.defra.gov.uk/publications/files/pb132629-food-date-labelling-110915.pdf

[8] http://www.food.gov.uk/about-us/about-the-fsa/faqsconsumer/#.UIP-MPWQPSg