Could the credit crunch put an end to food waste?

Wasted food is a huge environmental issue.

In the EU, millions of tonnes of food is thrown away every year before it even reaches supermarket shelves.

Supermarkets then throw away millions of tonnes of food because it is past its ‘best before’ date - although as all freegans know, this is relatively meaningless.

UK households throw away 4.1 million tonnes of food after they have bought it from the supermarket.

The credit crunch, however, is changing Britain’s approach to food waste, demonstrated by the recent success of a renegade business.

Sheffield-based Approved Food sells food products past their ‘best before’ date at significantly lower prices than supermarkets.

A 750g jar of Nutella at the site sells for £1.50, compared to £2.55 in Tesco, whilst a 400g jar of Marmite Big Squeeze is £2. Tesco sells a jar half the size for £2.47.

Since the beginning of the credit crunch in September, business at Approved Food has increased tenfold.

Demand is so high that the website has been forced to shut down for a few days every month so its owner can deal with the backlog of orders.

Selling food past its ‘best before’ date is legal. And food past its ‘best before’ date can be perfectly safe to eat.

As the Food Standards Agency explains: “Best- before is an indication of quality rather than safety.

“Eating food past the best-before date does not necessarily put someone at risk from food poisoning.”