Getting rid of the "sell by date"

I put the following on another thread a short while ago. Can't be bothered to type it again .

'Sell by', 'Use by', 'best before' etc are due for a revamp.

It has been calculated that approx six billion pounds worth of food per annum is thrown away mainly because of the public misunderstanding the meaning of these phrases - known as 'Best Before Paranoia'.

'Sell by' is only used by the retailer to be able to rotate stock and is of no interest to the consumer.

'Best before' does not mean you shouldn't eat it. All it is saying is that the look or the flavour may possibly not be the quite the same as when it was new. The BB day on fruit and veg can easily be ignored and you can judge for yourself and on canned food is totally ridiculous.

I know when the banana I have in my fruit bowl is no longer fit to eat. I don't need a little label suggesting that I get rid of it by a certain day.

'Use by' (only on fish, meat and dairy) is the date when you should definitely use careful judgement but does not mean you should automatically thrown it away. Pork is a 'no-no' after it's use by date and fish you have to be very careful about - especially herring, mackerel and tuna, so I would be inclined to stick to the use by date on those. Other meats are usually OK for a couple of days after their use by date but you can normally tell quite easily from smell and feel (if they feel slimy, don't eat). Eggs should always be given the 'float' test. If it floats in water then it's off.

Shops mustn't sell UB marked products after that date and food establishments mustn't use it.