Labels play their part in high food wastage

“Conservative” labelling is partly to blame for the high volume of food wasted every week, according to John Portelli of the Malta Organic Agriculture Movement. Twenty-two per cent of food purchased weekly by residents of Malta ends up in the solid waste stream, according to National Statistics Office figures released this week. This was calculated using figures from annual household waste surveys (2011/2012) and the 2008 Household Budgetary Survey. Mr Portelli found it hard to imagine Maltese people blithely throwing away food they had paid for. “Most products can be eaten after their expiry dates but people throw them away because they think they are inedible,” he said. In the EU, ‘best before’ dates are manufacturer suggestions for peak quality of pre-packed food. It is not against the law for retailers or caterers to sell products that have passed this date, although many choose to dispose of them to ensure quality or reassure consumers. Highly perishable foodstuffs, such as dairy products, must have a ‘use by’ date indicated and it is illegal to sell them after this date. A date of durability is not required for untreated fresh fruits and vegetables. “Perhaps we need to...