Trust Deed Scotland can reveal that the Journal of Environmental Research Letters published a study showing that up to 80% of food waste is avoidable. The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre led the work and spokesperson for the study, Davy Vanham evaluated,
‘In some ways, it’s good that this waste is avoidable because it means we’re able to do something about it. A lot of food is still good but is thrown away when it passes its sell-by date.’
If you remember what the dates mean, it could prevent you from throwing out perfectly good food that could be eaten. A guide to what perishable food labels actually mean:
Use By – The date the food has to be eaten by. Do not keep for longer than this date.
Best Before – The food will be at its optimum condition before this date but can still be consumed after this date although it will gradually lose quality of taste and texture.
Sell By – Used by shops to determine how long they should keep the items on their shelves. You do not need to eat the food by this date.
Display Until – Also used by shops to determine how long they should keep the items on their shelves. You do not need to eat the food by this date.