“A lot of waste is due to people not understanding expiration dates,” Zeegers notes. For example, there is an important difference between the “use by” date (preferably to be consumed by) and the “best by” date (to be consumed preferably by). “Usable up to”, for example, on meat and fish, according to Zeegers, because this is a safety indicator. If you later eat a fresh product, it poses a risk to your health.
‘Tht’ is found on non-perishable products such as chips, pasta or rice. This is just a guarantee of quality, explains Zeegers. “So says the manufacturer: until that date my chips taste exactly as they should be. But if they are expired, it is not immediately a health hazard, it is an indication of the taste.” He believes that the abolition of this designation will result in less waste.
Researcher Toine Timmermans of the University of Wageningen, however, is not in favor of abolishing the expiration date. “If you remove them, consumers will no longer have any tools to know when they can no longer eat something,” said Timmermans, who is also director of the Together Foundation Against Food Waste. “Without such a handle, some people throw away products faster, according to research.” Timmermans believes there should be much more clarity on the various expiration dates. With the expiration date you can just use your nose, but many people don’t know that.
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