Consumers still confused by best before and sell by dates
According to a research paper, it is logical to hide the sell-by labels on food products from consumers. This is because a lot of edible food is thrown away simply because it has lasted past its expiry date.
Researchers believe that there is a common misconception regarding the expiration date of food items. The best-before date does not mean that the food shall magically be spoiled as soon as that day is passed, it tends to indicate the time when the food is the freshest.
Few shoppers understand this concept and most of them tend to throw away perfectly edible and fresh food only because its “best-before” date has expired. In order to avoid this huge loss of food, the Harvard Law School has published some research findings in collaboration with Natural Resources Defence Council in the US to replace these date tags by smart labels which are hidden from plain sight and can only be viewed by shopkeepers to order the stock accordingly.
It seems logical to throw food away only when it smells bad, looks odd or has been exposed to the elements for a long time and not because the expiry date has passed. Broad Leib and scientists at NRDC claim that these labels are not posted on the packaging for the benefit of the consumer but are solely for the retailers and marketers. Only they can understand how to decipher these dates and determine the shelf life of products accordingly.
However, due to this mass confusion, a large amount of good food goes into bins and landfills which is a sad and outrageous loss of resources, labour and environment. Since there are no definite laws which determine how the dates should be marked, a fruit salad of local and state laws govern this important detail.
All in all, most authors agree that a smart system of labelling food items be introduced and that a standard procedure be devised for all companies to follow. The customers should not be privy to the labelling details as it is not a safety label and technology oriented smarter solutions be offered in this regard.
