5.3 Date marking Date marking is by far the most commonly studied food safety label element, and surveys are the most common study type. There are many different ways to date mark a food product internationally. Examples include by’, before’, and by’. Generic terms such as dates’, dates’ and ‘sell ‘best ‘use ‘expiry ‘open ‘date marks’ are also used in the literature. Key points Date marking is the most commonly studied food safety label element. This likely relates to date marking being the most commonly looked for and used food label element. 5.3.1 by’ dates ‘Use Key points Very high proportions of New Zealand and Australian consumers (up to 92 percent) say they read and apply by’ dates. ‘use However, when what by’ means, just under half of New Zealand and Australians ‘use say a food is safe to eat after the by’ date has passed. The study authors commented ‘use this is concerning given by’ date markings are the most widely used food label element. ‘use Compared with by’ and if used by’ dates, consumers say by’ dates are best at ‘sell ‘best ‘use urging them to consume the food before the stated date. Of all the date marking options, by’ is the best understood by consumers. ‘use Depending on food type, there are differences in what proportion of the population say they would eat a food beyond its by’ date, but it is always a large proportion (45-74 percent ‘use depending on food type). People in older age brackets are more likely to eat a food beyond its by’ than people in ‘use younger age brackets. Some consumers trust by’ dates, and others see them as a cynical manipulation by ‘use food companies to make additional profits from wasted food. The certainty of date markings and its origin’ contributes to this feeling of distrust and rejection. Most ‘institutional consumers, even those who distrust by’ dates, see by’ dates as one piece of ‘use ‘use information to help decide if a food should be waste or not. Consumers use by’ (and to a lesser extent before’) date markings to achieve ‘use ‘best better value for money (via a product lasting longer) and to a lesser extent to maximise nutritional value. When trying to understand how food becomes waste (the same idea as by’) there ‘use – appears to be a to cross’ when the food causes feeling of disgust’. This ‘boundary – ‘a
5.3 Date marking Date marking is by far the most commonly studied food safety label element, and surveys are the most common study type. There are many different ways to date mark a food product internationally. Examples include ‘sell by’, ‘best before’, and ‘use by’. Generic terms such as ‘expiry dates’, ‘open dates’ and ‘date marks’ are also used in the literature. Key points Date marking is the most commonly studied food safety label element. This likely relates to date marking being the most commonly looked for and used food label element. 5.3.1 ‘Use by’ dates Key points Very high proportions of New Zealand and Australian consumers (up to 92 percent) say they read and apply ‘use by’ dates. However, when what ‘use by’ means, just under half of New Zealand and Australians say a food is safe to eat after the ‘use by’ date has passed. The study authors commented this is concerning given ‘use by’ date markings are the most widely used food label element. Compared with ‘sell by’ and ‘best if used by’ dates, consumers say ‘use by’ dates are best at urging them to consume the food before the stated date. Of all the date marking options, ‘use by’ is the best understood by consumers. Depending on food type, there are differences in what proportion of the population say they would eat a food beyond its ‘use by’ date, but it is always a large proportion (45-74 percent depending on food type). People in older age brackets are more likely to eat a food beyond its ‘use by’ than people in younger age brackets. Some consumers trust ‘use by’ dates, and others see them as a cynical manipulation by food companies to make additional profits from wasted food. The certainty of date markings and its ‘institutional origin’ contributes to this feeling of distrust and rejection. Most consumers, even those who distrust ‘use by’ dates, see ‘use by’ dates as one piece of information to help decide if a food should be waste or not. Consumers use ‘use by’ (and to a lesser extent ‘best before’) date markings to achieve better value for money (via a product lasting longer) and to a lesser extent to maximise nutritional value. When trying to understand how food becomes waste (the same idea as ‘use by’) – there appears to be a ‘boundary to cross’ – when the food causes ‘a feeling of disgust’. This
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