Latest figures from a Stoke-on-Trent charity reveal it has had to ditch nearly half a tonne (480kg) of collected food since mid-January because of “unnecessary” supermarket use-by dates.
Affordable Food Stoke says the “shocking” waste equates to around 128kg of food per week which could have been donated to hungry families. Over the course of a year that would add up to 6,700kg (just under 7 tonnes).
The award-winning charity has launched a campaign, backed by Daily Focus, calling on UK supermarkets to ditch “use-by” dates on a range of fresh food products.
It has now received the green light for a petition on the UK Government and Parliament website pushing for a change in the law.
Charity founders Duane and Nikki Barrett want to see use-by dates banned on fresh fruit, vegetables and salads and replaced with an expanded ‘best before’ system.
They believe a precedent was set last year when many supermarkets changed used-by dates on milk and other dairy products to ‘best before’ cutting waste overnight.
Another frustrating issue, they say, is that supermarkets regularly only release unsold fresh food items to charities on the evening of their use-by dates, making it extremely difficult to distribute them.
Now the pair are calling on other charities as well as businesses to support the campaign and sign the newly-set-up petition. They need 10,000 signatures to get a Government response and 100,000 for it to be considered for debate in Parliament.
Duane said: “The figures are ridiculous and shocking but I know they are accurate as we painstakingly collect them.
“Since we launched the campaign on January 13, we have been weighing the food we cannot use because it has a use-by date on it.
“In that time we have had to waste 477.9kg of food – that is on average 18.38kg for every day we have been open.
“Over the course of 2024, that means we would be wasting 6,690kg of food – 128kg of potential food per week for families. It’s just unnecessary.”
Since January 2023, Affordable Stoke has collected and distributed over 72,500kg worth of food – the equivalent of 174,313 meals.
Duane added: “When you put it into this perspective you realise just how much the wasted fresh produce food is needed in the community.
“But legally, we can’t distribute it. When you think we are just one charity in one city – it is a crying shame how much is ending up wasted or in landfill. Something has to change.
“That’s why we need as many people as possible to support the campaign, sign the petition and convince supermarkets and the Government to make the common-sense changes we need.”
To sign the petition, click here.
For more details on food safety and the differences between use-by and best before, please look at the Food Standards Agency guidance by clicking here.
