East of England Co-op to sell produce after 'best before' dates
The East of England Co-op, East Anglia’s largest independent retailer, will become the first business of its kind to sell food past its “best before” date in an attempt to cut waste. The tinned and dried produce will be sold for 10p. Fresh and perishable items will not be included in the initiative. The move follows a three-month trial carried out in 14 shops that found the 10p items typically sold within hours. The company hopes that the scheme will save a minimum of two tonnes of food waste per year.

A major retailer has become the first to start selling food that is past its “best before” date in a drive to reduce food waste.

From this week, the East of England Co-op – the biggest independent retailer in East Anglia – will sell tinned goods and dried food such as pasta, crisps and rice for a nominal 10p once they reach their best-before date. The offer will not apply to fresh and perishable foods, however, which carry a “use by” date indicating when a product is safe to eat.

The move by the retailer, which is independent of the Co-operative Group, follows a three-month trial in 14 stores that found that the 10p items generally sold within hours of being reduced.

Q&A What is the difference between ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates? Show ‘Best by’ or ‘best before’ date labels only refer to when food is at its best and tend to be used for quality control by retailers. For this reason it is perfectly safe to sell food at or after its ‘best before’ date. ‘Use by’ labels are more important as they indicate when a product is safe to eat, protecting consumers from potentially dangerous bacteria that could be in food after that date. Simplification of labelling is underway through new guidance from the Government’s waste advisory body Wrap, the Food Standards Agency and Defra, which advocates the use of only one date on a pack in order to reduce consumer confusion. ‘Display until’ labels have been phased out and food manufacturers are advised to select a ‘use by’ date only when there is a food safety reason – otherwise they should use a ‘best before’ date.

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Despite concerted efforts to reduce food waste through the entire supply chain, the government’s waste advisory body, Wrap, says £13bn-worth of edible food is thrown out in Britain every year.

Wrap is overseeing a major simplification of labelling with consumers often unaware of the difference between a use-by and a best-before date.

The East of England Co-op hopes to save at least two tonnes of food from being wasted annually with the initiative.

As part of the Co-op Guide to Dating campaign, shoppers will be told “Don’t be a binner, have it for dinner!” and “It’s not nice to get dumped”.

“We are committed to reducing waste in our business and the Co-op Guide to Dating is one of many initiatives we have instigated to make the East of England Co-op as efficient as possible, reducing our impact on the environment,” said Roger Grosvenor, the company’s joint chief executive and head of its retail division.

“During our trial we found our 10p items went within hours of being reduced, sometimes quicker,” said Grosvenor. “The vast majority of our customers understand they are fine to eat and appreciate the opportunity to make a significant saving on some of their favourite products. This is not a money-making exercise, but a sensible move to reduce food waste and keep edible food in the food chain. By selling perfectly edible food we can save 50,000-plus items every year which would otherwise have gone to waste.”

The Food Standards Agency advises that products past their best-before date are safe to eat but may not be at the optimum quality intended by the producer. The products will remain on sale for a month past their best-before date.

The East of England Co-op has also launched a new “reduced to clear” policy, offering bigger discounts earlier in the day on foods nearing their use-by dates.

The 10p discounted food cannot be donated to charities such as food banks as they do not accept items past their best-before dates.