UK – Meal kit specialist HelloFresh has released a survey on food waste claiming almost half of UK consumers don’t understand labeling on packs.
In a survey of 1,500 people, 46% said that they did not “understand how to handle current labeling on packaging”. However, 82% are taking active steps to reduce food waste in their homes.
In addition, 48% estimate that they are throwing away £260 worth of food every year as a result of best-before labeling with almost one in five (16%) estimating as much as £520.
HelloFresh said that the survey results show that the alternative solution of the time-temperature indicator (TTI) is key to addressing this change.
The company has partnered with Keep-It and launched the label in the Netherlands and Germany. Trials in 2020 and 2021 claimed that the new indicators reduced food waste by 15%.
HelloFresh UK CEO Adam Park said: “A core component of our mission to change how people eat for the better is helping customers reduce food waste while delivering the fresh, delicious meals they expect from HelloFresh.
“The time-temperature indicators meet the highest safety standards and can help us eat more sustainably, without compromising on flavor.
The UK has an opportunity to be a leader in supporting innovative technologies like these, and we look forward to introducing these indicators on our fish as soon as we receive regulatory approval. Implementing these indicators would not only benefit our customers but also help the planet.”
In 2019, Arla Foods conducted a similar survey. The survey revealed that whilst three-quarters (77 percent) of respondents check food and drink packaging before they purchase, only 15 percent are confident they can decipher everything on the label.
This includes ‘best before’ and ‘use by’ dates with over a third (34 percent) of Brits unsure of the difference, and 11 percent believing them to be the same thing.
This confusion means a third (34 percent) end up binning food past its ‘best before’ date, while another 38 percent do the same once the product has passed its ‘use by’ date.
Fran Ball, Director of Quality, Environment and Safety, Arla Foods UK, at the time said: “Our research shows that consumers are clearly confused about labeling on their food products, particularly when it comes to use by and best before dates.”
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