The UK government is urging manufacturers to dispose of sell-by dates on food packaging.
The government says such a move would save shoppers money and reduce the £12 billion of edible food thrown away there each year, which the government says is partly due to confusing packaging, the BBC reports.
The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) says that equates to five million tonnes of edible foods is being discarded by UK households each year, a staggering equivalent of £680 for households with children.
The British Retail Consortium believes a better strategy would be educating consumers about what dates on foods mean.
"Helping consumers understand that food past its best-before date can still be eaten or cooked could contribute to reducing food waste and saving people money," Food Director Andrew Opie said.
"The government should be spreading that message, not focusing on retail practices."
Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said confing food labelling is to blame for about responsible for £750m of the £12bn edible-food wastage each year and believes the sell-by dates are no longer relevant.
"We want to end the food labelling confusion and make it clear once and for all when food is good and safe to eat," she said.
She wants all stock rotation information, including sell-by dates, removed from packaging completely.
"There are products that have several dates on them; use by, best before.
"Sometimes it says ‘display until’, which is not relevant at all by the time it’s sitting in your fridge," Spelman told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
"So I can understand when people – particularly young people starting out with shopping – look at these dates and say ‘I’m not sure about this; better throw it away’."
While compliance with the new guidance is not required by law, DEFRA says businesses are legally required to label food with either a use-by or best-before date.
The foods likely to require a use-by date, those that could become dangerous to eat, include soft cheese, ready-prepared meals and smoked fish, DEFRA says.
But other foods like biscuits, jams, crisps and tinned foods, which may lost quality but not be unsafe, only require a best before date.
But the Food Standards Agency (FSA) maintains the new advise is relevant.
"We always emphasise that use-by dates are the most important, as these relate to food safety," head of hygiene and microbiology, Liz Redmond said.
The UK appears to be playing a game of catch up, as Food Standards Australia New Zealand spokesperson Lorraine Belanger told Food Magazine.
“We already have system they’re talking about in place,” she said.
“Essentially, for most foods, there is a use by or best before, unless they have a shelf life of more than two years so they don’t have to have a date on them.”
“If it is a best before date, retailers can still sell a product, but its up to them to make sure its safe.”
“Anything unsafe, like dairy or other animal products, cannot legally be sold past their use by date.”