2023-04-22 07:10:00
Meanwhile, in an interview with “Kurier Vilnius”, Miglė Petronytė, the spokesperson of the “Maisto bankas” organization, expresses doubts whether the changes proposed by the ministry will have a significant impact on reducing food waste, because these changes concern food that is now hardly thrown away.
400,000 is wasted annually. tons of food
“The Ministry of Economy and Innovation, responsible for formulating internal trade policy, tries to contribute to reducing food waste in retail trade. The amount of food waste thrown away in Lithuania is almost 400,000. tons per year, and even about one-sixth of this is in retail. Changing the standardized use-by date labeling can have a significant impact on preventing food waste. This can help you use more than 50,000 tons of food” – “Kurier Wileński” was informed in a statement sent from the Ministry of Economy and Innovation.
Therefore, the Ministry has prepared amendments to the Civil Code that apply to food marked as “best before…”, whose shelf life has expired or which has been re-labelled, repackaged or otherwise processed in order to extend its shelf life . These legislative changes would not apply to food supplements and foods intended for infants and young children. The category of such goods includes flour, groats, oil, sugar, canned food and other products whose quality does not deteriorate for a long time.
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Clear information on the packaging
As reported by “Kurier Wileński”, sellers will be able to extend the shelf life only if the food is packed in the original manufacturer’s packaging, has not been damaged, and the consumer receives appropriate and clear information that it is still of high quality and safe to eat. On the packaging of such food with an extended shelf life, it will also be necessary to indicate the original shelf life.
Expired products, but much cheaper
By approving the draft legislative changes, it will be possible to reduce the amount of food wasted. Retailers will be able to sell for longer, and consumers will be able to buy and consume expired, but safe and high-quality products not only longer, but also cheaper.
In Europe, a large number of developed countries allow the sale of food past their best-before date (Ireland, Denmark, Italy, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Finland, Sweden and Slovakia).
Or maybe other ways?
Miglė Petronytė pointed out that, above all, ways should be sought to prevent the waste of dairy products, fruit, vegetables, meat and fish.
– Fruit and vegetable losses in stores account for as much as 68 percent. all food thrown away. When it comes to food with a long shelf life, it is hardly wasted anyway. Pasta, groats, oil and other products are used by people themselves,” said Petronytė.
Read more: How to save and not waste food
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