THE average family bins £60 of food A MONTH – with 7 million tonnes chucked out by UK households every year.
But as Environment Secretary Liz Truss reveals she eats food past its best-before date, do you really have to throw away grub that’s apparently past its “best”?
Miss Truss told yesterday how she cuts off mould from some foods and eats the rest.
She said: “I will just see if it smells OK and eat it.”
Here, I reveal all you need to know about best-before and use-by dates – and when it’s sensible to bin your out-of-date foodstuffs.
Use-by date
ON food that goes off quickly, like fresh fish and meat along with ready-made salads, milk and yoghurt.
Best-by date
NOT for safety but for taste and texture. Eating after the expiry date is generally fine if it still tastes and smells OK.
Sell-by date
NOT legally required, this helps shop staff with stock control and is not intended to be used by consumers.
Cut waste but don’t take risks
YOU really have to be careful when eating food past its use-by or best-before date – and there are some instances, especially when it comes to fresh meat, when this should never happen.
It is possible to limit the amount you throw away by making sensible decisions on dates with some foods, such as salad items and things in your storage cupboard.
I wouldn’t advise pregnant or breastfeeding women to ever eat produce such as eggs after their use-by date.
The same goes for people who are sick or particularly vulnerable.
The best option is to shop carefully to avoid the potential waste happening in the first place.
That can be hard to do in our “throw away” society, but it could benefit the environment as well as our bank balances.
£700m
The average amount UK families spend on food & drink which is then thrown away