38% of the Portuguese may be lying in waste food in good condition just for ignorance. Not knowing how to interpret the meaning of dates on labels correctly leads to food waste still in good condition.
O food waste It remains a great challenge in Portugal.
According to a new study by, a company that fights food waste worldwide, 38% of Portuguese may be lying out food in good condition.
To the main cause? TO confusion that is around the labeling of validity dates.
In Portugal, it is estimated that food per year.
Since, according to the European Commission, about 10% of food waste in the European Union (EU) is associated with the misinterpretation of validity dates, approximately 18 kilos food per person may be being Wasted annually in Portugal for ignorance.
“Consume until” vs. “Consume preferably before”
According to the study of Too Good to Go, almost 40% of the Portuguese admits lying away food just because they have exceeded the date of minimal durability, which often leads to waste of foods still suitable for consumption.
This lack of food literacy translates into a misinterpretation of the dates indicated in the packaging: 30% of the Portuguese admits not knowing how to interpret Which really indicates the date “to consume preferably before”, which can lead to unnecessary disposal of foods that are still in good condition.
Furthermore, 63% of Portuguese It admits that it is mainly guided by the date of consumption preferably indicated on the label to determine if a food is still in good condition for consumption. Or ignores other important signs like smell, aspect or taste.
“This excessive dependence on the printed date leads to the waste of food that could actually continue to be consumed safely, contributing to a problem that is often avoidable,” writes to Too Good to Go in a statement sent to ZAP.
To clarify the confusion around the different types of date and its implications, it is important to follow the definitions of ASAE – Food and Economic Security Authority:
- A Expiration date (“consume up to”) indicates the deadline to which food can be consumed safely. This is an indication used mainly in very perishable products from a microbiological point of view, such as fresh meat or fish, which, which, After this date, they may be a risk to health.
- I and Date of minimum durability (“Consume preferably before”) It refers to the period during which food maintains its specific properties, provided it is stored correctly. After this date, the product can still be consumed, as long as it maintains good appearance, smell and taste, without questioning consumer health.
“Observe, smell, prove”: use the senses
“In Portugal, still 47% of people say they do not use the senses To find out if a product is great for consumption, ”he said in the statement, the director of Too Good to Go in Portugal, Maria Tolentino.
In addition, “about 61% of people say the information on the labeling of dates is not sufficient or It’s confusedand that may lead them to waste food that could still be good to consume, ”he added.
Since 2021, Too Good to Go has been sensitizing to waste food with the campaign, an initiative that aims to help consumers make more conscious decisions at home.
Several food packaging now have an eye pictogram, a nose and a mouth, which is placed on the date of minimal durability to remember that, even after the date, The product can continue in good condition if you keep a good look, smell and taste.
Although 60% of consumers always say using the senses, almost half admit that it only does it occasionally or never.
Every year more than 2,500 million tons of food worldwide are wasted, which represents 40% of food produced globally.
Mobile applications like Too Good to Go offer users the opportunity to save food at very small prices.
