Here's why Luton shoppers will start seeing these labels during their trip to the supermarket and what it all means

Anti-food waste innovators are calling on people in Luton to reduce waste and bust common food myths by trusting their senses over sell by dates.

A new campaign by Too Good To Go titled 'Look, Smell, Taste, Don't Waste' has published results of a survey which found Luton residents could be throwing away 10% of their weekly food shop thanks to confusion over food date labels, resulting in as much as £346 worth of quality, edible food being wasted by households.

The new research, which found that 45% of adults are confused about the meaning of ‘Best Before’ labels, has been released to mark the launch of the ‘Look, Smell, Taste, Don’t Waste’ initiative, which is calling on brands across the UK to step up and address this confusion in a bid to fight food waste.

Luton shoppers are being actively encouraged to look beyond ‘Best Before’ dates as ‘Look, Smell, Taste, Don’t Waste’ messaging hits the shelves on some of the UK’s biggest brands.

Those doing their weekly food shop can expect to find the likes of The Laughing Cow cheese, Onken yoghurt, Activia and Actimel yoghurt drinks, Cravendale milk and many more products, from fridge to pantry, carrying Too Good To Go’s call to action to use their senses.

The roll-out, which to-date has seen 24 brands sign up, including Nestle, Danone, and Arla, aims to address the common misconception that food past its assigned ‘Best Before’ date is unsafe to eat. Whilst ‘Use By’ dates are adopted widely to advise when food is safe to eat, ‘Best Before’ dates are simply a guide to quality.

According to the survey conducted by Too Good To Go, over a quarter (26%) are concerned that eating food past the Best Before date could make them sick, and just a third (34%) would serve a meal to friends or family with ingredients past this date.

Of the 2,000 people surveyed, a staggering 39% admitted that they don’t use their senses to determine the edibility of food items in their cupboard or fridge, and almost a third (32%) wouldn’t eat a yoghurt that had passed its ‘Best Before’ date, despite it being perfectly safe to do so.

Milk is the food product that Brits are most likely to check before consuming at 70%, with other dairy products such as yoghurt (59%), eggs (56%), and cheese (44%) high up on the list.

The ‘Look, Smell, Taste, Don’t Waste’ initiative by Too Good To Go has already made significant strides in France since launching in January 2020, amassing 54 signatories to its ‘pact’ to clarify consumption dates.

Jamie Crummie, Co-Founder of Too Good To Go, said: “Date label confusion is a major contributor to food waste at home. The truth is that the dates given on ‘Best Before’ labels are often extremely conservative and that food can have a much longer life than is specified, with no significant drop in quality.

"The best way to tell if a food is good to eat is to look at it, smell it, taste it and to trust your own judgment.”

“This new initiative is twofold. Firstly, we want to give shoppers the encouragement to trust their senses, ultimately leading to less waste.

"Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, we want to challenge brands - big and small - to get rid of misleading date labels so that products only display ‘Use By’ and ‘Best Before’ where absolutely necessary.”

This issue is just the latest in the world of food waste that Too Good To Go is fighting against globally. Its app, which the social impact company is most well known for, connects users to surplus food from local restaurants, pubs, retailers, and suppliers and has saved over 58m meals from going to waste since its launch in 2016.

To find out more about Too Good To Go’s mission to fight food waste around the world, head to the website.

Luton shoppers may notice the labelling on packaging for products from a host of brands and stores including the following that have already signed up to the Look, Smell, Taste, Don’t Waste initiative:

- Arla

- Bel Group (The Laughing Cow)

- Danone (Danone, Actimel, Activia, Oykos, Light & Free)

- Emmi UK (Onken & Beleaf)

- Nestle

- The Bay Tree

- Loving Food

- Alternative Foods (OGGS)

- Greens for Good

- The Cornish Cheese Co

- Dunsters Farm

- Sea Chips

- SpareSnacks

- Nibs Etc.

- Glorious Game

- Eat Love Raw

- Punchy Drinks

- Dash Water

- Fruity Packs

- Saint Agur Cheese.