'Londoners throw out £700 of perfectly edible food each year'

The study found Londoners threw away food on or ahead of its best before date
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Households in London are binning hundreds of pounds worth of perfectly good food nearing its best before date for fear that eating it could make them ill, according to research released today.

Almost half of 500 Londoners surveyed said they threw away food on or ahead of its best before date - most without checking first if it was ok to eat.

Nearly 65 per cent of those who binned food said they were worried about getting ill if they disobeyed the labelling.

The survey was conducted by Approved Food, which sells cut-price food nearing and passed its best before date.

The company estimates about £700 worth of good-to-eat food is thrown away in the capital’s homes every year.

The firm’s founder, Dan Cluderay, said there is confusion over the meaning of best before and use by.

Foods with use by labels - such as fish, meat, dairy and prepackage salads - spoil more quickly and have a food poisoning risk.

But Mr Cluderay, said the most common cupboard staples that have a longer life than advertised and include white rice, pasta, tinned and pickled goods, frozen food, dried beans and pulses, dried cheese, dried pasta and seasonings.

He argues that food passed the best before date can lose its flavour or texture but is fine to eat and people should use their judgement, rather than a strict adherence to the packet.

Mr Cluderay said: “Over 7 million tonnes of food is wasted in the UK alone every single year.

“When I became a market trader there was a real stigma about food passed its best before date, which continued until the credit crunch because the nation was really talking about saving money.

“But there’s still a lot of misunderstanding around food labelling and it can be confusing.

“People are puzzled by what ‘best before’ and ‘use by’ actually mean.

“We need to make sure people have all the facts to make a sensible decision about what they are prepared to eat.

“This will help reduce the amount of food destined for landfill that is perfectly safe to consume.

“Best-before-dates are an indication of quality, food eaten after this date will be perfectly good to eat however its quality may have started to deteriorate.

“Imagine a slightly less crunchy crisp, for example.

“However, use-by dates are an indication of safety and food should never be eaten once it has passed this date for dairy, meat etc.”

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