Best Before AND Beyond

Overcoming date label confusion

Do you know the difference between a ‘Best Before’ date and a ‘Use By’ or ‘Expiry Date’ on food packaging? People are mistakenly throwing away perfectly good food because of confusion caused by date labelling. Yet most food beyond its ‘Best Before’ date is still perfectly safe to eat.

Household waste contributes to 63% of food waste in Hong Kong, and by gaining a better understanding of food date labels, we can help to change that statistic, saving landfills, and money, at the same time.

The Feeding Hong Kong ‘Best Before AND Beyond’ report delves deeper into confusion regarding food date labels by collecting data from 1,000+ Hong Kong residents and charities. By understanding common mistaken beliefs, and offering solutions to prolong the life of food, we hope to guide consumers to save more food, and charities to redistribute more surplus food donations.

Our research has found that

25% of consumers misunderstand the meaning of ‘Best Before’ dates with 17% of consumers are throwing away food that is beyond its ‘Best Before’ date, yet still perfectly safe to eat
Fruit & veg, milk and bread are the #1 food items that are most regularly thrown away once they reach their ‘Best Before’ date, although as long as these look and smell OK they are still safe to eat
One in four consumers name rice, pasta and noodles as one of the top three food types that they most commonly throw away once beyond its ‘Best Before’ date, despite these foods being considered non-perishable
Worryingly, one third of consumers do not fully understand that food beyond its ‘Use By’ or ‘Expiry’ date is actually UNSAFE to eat, with 16% of consumers mistakenly believing that these are still SAFE to eat

Tips to prolong the life of perfectly good food

First to expire, first out – FEFO!

Use up food with the shortest lifespan first.

Storage matters

Follow pack instructions to prolong food life, especially important in Hong Kong’s humid environment.

The freezer is your friend

The life of most foods can be prolonged with freezing. Watch out for labels which state that a product has been previously frozen (usually meat/fish). These should NOT be refrozen.

Recycle!

When you do need to throw away food, separate it from your other waste and dispose of it responsibly. The government is expanding the city’s recycling network and the number of residential smart recycling bins and food waste collection facilities is increasing.

Check out our report for more hints and tips on making good food last longer, to reduce food waste and save money.

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