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1 Dec 2011
Unit:
LEI
 Companies would waste considerably less food if the government were to modify legislation, regulations and procedures in two areas. The ‘best-before date’ period for non-perishable products could be abolished. Additionally, it should be made easier for the catering and hospitality sector to obtain exemptions to allow them to sell products that have been outside a refrigerator for longer than two hours if those products should in principle be kept chilled.
These are two of the findings of the study entitled ‘Reducing food waste’ carried out by LEI and Food & Biobased Research (both parts of Wageningen UR). The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation (Economische Zaken, Landbouw en Innovatie, EL&I) commissioned the study in response to the claim from the industry that the current legislation promotes food wastage. This is not in keeping with the ministry’s objective that there should be at least 20% less food wastage throughout the chain by 2015. In addition to causes associated with current legislation, there are also non-legal obstacles.
The provision of food information
One of the major conclusions of the report is that the Provision of Food Information Regulation gives rise to wastage as a result of incorrect labelling, best-before dates that are too short and vary too much for the same type of product, and a lack of clarity about what is permitted after the best-before date has passed. Because of product liability, businesses remove food from the shelves when it is not necessary to do so. The government can stimulate chain actors to reach agreements about the best-before dates for products with an extremely long shelf life. It can also research the possibility of abolishing the best-before date for non-perishable products if the production date is indicated.
Two-hour guarantee
In the study, caterers indicated that they can actually continue to sell and serve products for longer than the two hours prescribed under hygiene codes in a non-refrigerated environment in the case of products that in principle need to be kept refrigerated. This two-hour guarantee means that businesses end up throwing away a lot of food, both pre-packaged and unpackaged. The researchers recommend making it easier to extend that two-hour guarantee period.
Import controls and standards for the use of biocides
Sometimes food wastage is actually promoted by legislation and regulations in the field of contamination in food due to lengthy procedures during import controls. In addition, chain actors create stricter norms for themselves and others in order to avoid damage to their reputation.
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