MSE News: Food shake-up could see 'best before' labels changed

geordie_joe

frugal_shopper wrote: »

Products will still have USE BY dates if a food product you buy goes off before the use by date you can return it for a replacement or refund.

Will they?

The way I read it was only those products that require a use by date will have them, every thing else won't. Martin clearly read it this way too, which is why I quoted him saying "For everything else we should use our eyes and nose". There he was referring to all the products that don't require a use by date.

As for returning goods that go off before you use them, not much use to people who shop monthly. They want, at least part of, the food they buy to last a month, not the right to take it back if it doesn't.

Suppose you do a months shop on 1st of the month, some of it you will eat on the 28th of the month.

What would you rather have when you open a package to make tea for the family at 6.00pm.

a date on the product telling you it will still be fine to eat on that date

or the right to jump into your car, drive 15 miles to Tesco to get the product exchanged because it's gone off.


And when you get to tesco, will they argue that you kept the product too long?

Will there be some law that says all food stuff must last at least a month, or two months, after purchase if it doesn't require a use by date?

As I have said before, I do think some people go over the top and follow dates to closely. Some of them seem to think that if a product has a best before date on it, it turns to poison at a midnight on that date.

But being realistic, if you shop monthly you do need some indication that the products will last until the day you intend to eat them.

geordie_joe

grahamwalker wrote: »

There is so much rubbish quoted about food and use by dates.

I agree

grahamwalker wrote: »

Meat if stored right about 2 weeks.

The problem is knowing how long the meat has been stored by the supermarket before you buy it.

Meat may keep for 2 weeks, but how do you know if it has been "kept" by the supermarket for 2 days or 13 days?

If a supermarket fills a fridge full of meat on Monday morning, and I buy a joint, can I keep it in my fridge for two weeks?

If I return to the supermarket the following Monday morning and get the last joint left in the fridge, can I take it home and keep it in my fridge for two weeks?

Derivative

geordie_joe wrote: »

I agree



The problem is knowing how long the meat has been stored by the supermarket before you buy it.

Meat may keep for 2 weeks, but how do you know if it has been "kept" by the supermarket for 2 days or 13 days?

If a supermarket fills a fridge full of meat on Monday morning, and I buy a joint, can I keep it in my fridge for two weeks?

If I return to the supermarket the following Monday morning and get the last joint left in the fridge, can I take it home and keep it in my fridge for two weeks?

What would be great is mandatory "packaged on x" dates for fresh meat, milk, etcetera. Like Budweiser's "born on" date.

luckymannn

I am guilty of throwing out food as soon as it goes over the BEST BEFORE date.

I am so scared of getting ill off food so I'd rather just lose a few quid!

What i would like to see on all food is to keep the best before date but ALWAYS have a USE BY date.
Then I will know that ok this food will not taste quite as good but it won't make me ill.

nesssie1702

"Best before" dates are used on food where there isn't really a risk of food poisoning and if the date has passed, then the food might not be of the quality that you would usually expect, e.g. crisps and biscuits might be soft, butter and oils might go rancid etc. They might not taste as you would expect if they were fresh, but they are unlikely to make you ill, as they don't support bacterial growth.

"Use By" dates are used on high risk foods (normally stored in the fridge), where there may be a risk of food poisoning if the food is consumed after that date.