Germany seeks to cut consumer food waste in expiry-date debate

Germany plans to reduce food waste by raising awareness among consumers that best-by dates are guidelines, as opposed to deadlines for when it’s safe to eat products, the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Ministry said.

The ministry has started a campaign to inform retailers about expiration dates and will distribute 4 million leaflets and information cards in 21,000 German supermarkets, it said in a statement on its website today.

Every German citizen, on average, discards 82 kilograms (181 pounds) of food a year at home, equivalent to two packed shopping carts, according to the ministry.

“The best-by date is not a throw-away date, but a guide,” Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner was cited as saying in the statement. “In general, a product is still perfectly edible for several days even after the best-by date.”