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Press Release

DEFRA guidance on best before/use by date marking

15 September 2011

Responding to Defra's guidance on 'use by' and 'best before' dates, published today, the Food and Drink Federation's (FDF) Director of Food Safety and Science Barbara Gallani said: "Defra's guidance on the application of date marks on food and drink products will provide an additional tool for manufacturers to use to help consumers in their fight against food waste.

"FDF fully supports the continued use of 'use by' and 'best before' date marking as these provide very valuable information for consumers on product safety and quality and we encourage our members to apply best practice when deciding on the most appropriate labelling for a specific product. However, as research from WRAP suggests, shoppers are still confused by the difference between 'use by' and 'best before', meaning that there is a significant challenge around consumer understanding.

"Through FDF's Five Fold Ambition food and drink manufacturers have had a long-standing commitment to reducing waste and energy use. Equally, safety is paramount for food and drink business operators and companies will continue to look for ways to improve shelf-life calculations with the aim of helping consumers minimise any unnecessary food wastage in the home."

For more information, please contact Nicki Hunt, Sarah Jenkinson, Rebecca Wilhelm or Anna Taylor on 020 7420 7132/31/40/18.



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