FSA survey shows date label confusion
A poll of adults in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland has revealed that half of them do not always check the use-by date on food before eating it.
Findings show that 44 percent view use-by dates as a useful guide and half of adults surveyed could not identify the correct definition for a use-by date. A use-by date relates to safety and can be found on meat and ready-to-eat salads. A “best-before” date is about quality and appears on frozen, dried and tinned foods.
Research also showed that 76 percent of adults have knowingly eaten food past the use-by date, with 37 percent cooking food for other people that is after this date. This rises to 43 percent of people aged 25 to 34 years old.
The online poll by Ipsos Mori was based on 2,132 respondents aged 16 to 75 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland between March 5 … Read more