In recent years, food labels have changed to help customers make better food choices and get a greater understanding of the nutrients and allergens that are in food and drink. However, the Waste & Resources Action Plan (WRAP), have found that by making slight changes to the way food and drink is labelled could cut household waste by £1bn a year, saving money and the environment.
Reducing household waste with food labels
In a government report, The Wrap Retailer, they found that household waste had reduced over the past four years due to food manufacturers reducing the use of multiple date labels on packaging, ‘Open Life’ labels and storage guidance.
Another major change which consumers are beginning to see more throughout supermarkets is the change from ‘use by’ to ‘best before’ date labels, giving a longer period for food to be eaten. Vegetables and some groceries now don’t display dates at all, leaving it up to the consumer to decide when it is no longer edible.
In the report, WRAP recommended further improvements could be made to food labelling by increasing storage time labels, packages sizes and the use of the ‘Snowflake logos’ indicating how long a product should be frozen for. The use of ‘Snowflake logos’ on packaging has fallen over the past four years and WRAP stated there was “an urgent need to reinforce its value on pack” to help customers make better choices and waste less food.
Improve Your Food Labelling With Smylies & Save Money
WRAP claimed that making further changes to food labelling could prevent about 350,000t of domestic food waste a year. If your business needs food labelling services or if you’re looking to change the way your food is labelled, talk to Smylies. Ensure labels adhere to international regulations with our bespoke labelling services for food and drink products exported worldwide.
Alternatively, speak to our export specialists directly by calling +44 (0) 151 653 3335.