Are Sell-By dates a major source of Food Waste?

When you buy fresh produce in a farmer’s market, you assess how fresh it is. Tinned produce and preserving spices have date stamps. Have we lost the ability to prepare safe food, or is it because food is relatively cheap and easy to replace?

I am sure we are all guilty of having products in our cabinets that are out of date by at least a year. Obviously fresh produce that needs refrigeration has a shorter shelf life. However, we should be only buying what we need for the week rather than being seduced by offers we see in supermarkets. A good tip is to prepare a menu for the week, and then check the cupboards for ingredients. This way we reduce our food wastage.

The UK throws away 9.5 million tons in a year – even though 8.4 million people are in food poverty.