How can I reduce the amount of food that I waste?

Why is food waste an issue?

Food waste is a huge issue in the UK, according to the charity Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), UK households waste 4.5 million tonnes of perfectly good food every year, a huge amount that is estimated to cost us close to £14bn (1). This does not impact only our pockets, but also our environment.

Every time we throw food away, we are not only wasting the food itself but also all the precious resources that go into making it, including the energy, water, inputs like fertiliser and the labour it takes to farm and manufacture it.

What is a best before end’ date?

The majority of food labels show a 'best before the end or 'best before date' which indicates when food is at its best and is most fresh. After this date, you might find that the product is not at its finest quality, but it doesn't mean the product has gone bad or is unsafe - it is still perfectly fine to eat.

How long after the best before date can I eat Maggi^® products?

Each product in our range is different which is why we’re partnering with ‘Too Good To Go’ in the fight against food waste. We have added the ‘Look, Smell, Taste, Don’t Waste’ logo to our So Juicy packaging and will be adding it to the remainder of our products over 2023. If you find a Maggi pack or a bottle of Maggi Sauce at the back of your cupboard, before throwing it away make sure you look at, smell, and taste it and keep enjoying using it as long as it seems fine.

What about products with a ‘use-by' date?

However, when it comes to the use-by date, we should be more careful. The Food Standards Agency has a simple way to help us make the distinction between 'best before end' and ‘use-by' dates. The 'best before end' date relates to food quality, while the use-by date relates to food safety.

Foods with a ‘use-by' date such as fresh meat, fresh fish, some vegetables such as a bag of salad, and dairy products such as milk, cheese and cream are considered highly perishable. This means they go bad in a short period of time and can be harmful to our health when consumed in that state. The use-by date is chosen based on scientific methods that reveal the point at which these products are no longer safe for us to eat, so you should never consume food past its use-by date.

If you’d like to learn more head over to the Food Standards Agency and read, there best before and use-by dates article. Click here to view the article.

1. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/24/uk-households-waste-45m-tonnes-of-food-each-year

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