Families struggling to beat the credit crunch are flocking to buy cut-price food that is past its ‘best before’ date.

 

The bargain-hunters are following the advice of experts, who say that such food – while not in optimum condition – is often perfectly safe to eat.

 

Online retailer Approved Food, which sells products that have passed their prime, said it had seen turnover rise tenfold since the start of the economic crisis.

It is now struggling to cope with the soaring demand.

 

The Sheffield-based firm sells ‘best before’ food and ‘damaged’ goods that have been rejected by larger retailers.

 

One of its top offers is a pack of 12 Pot Noodles for £1. A single Pot Noodle from Tesco – that has not exceeded its 18-month shelf life – costs 83p.

 

Dan Cluderay, chief executive and founder of Approved Food, said the business had struggled until last September’s banking crisis caused thousands of Britons to lose their jobs.

 

Since then, he claims the number of customers registered with Approved Food has rocketed from 500 to 5,000.

 

The 34-year-old father of one said: ‘Attitudes have definitely changed. No one gave us a chance when we first opened but we have started to prove people wrong.

 

‘And there is a massive gap in the market. The big supermarkets don’t want to compete with us as they do not want any association with out-of-date food.’

The Government has warned that the public throws away 6.7million tons of food every year, most of which is still safe to eat.

 

This year it is estimated the UK will bin food worth up to £10billion – equivalent to £420 for every household.

 

Mail on Sunday food expert Tom Parker Bowles said: ‘I think this is admirable – people seem to have forgotten their common sense when it comes to out-of-date food.

‘Obviously, you should be careful with chicken, meat and eggs but if a tomato looks smooth and unblemished then it is fine to eat, no matter what the date

on the label.’

 

He added: ‘This company is also reducing food waste, which is great for the environment.’

 

Source: Mail on Sunday

 

Would you be happy to eat food past it’s sell by or use by date?

Absolutely; I've done that anyway wayyy before the credit-crunch set in because it's fiiine and being the poor student that I am, I love cheap things. It's a real annoyance of mine how much food is wasted here aswell, so the fact that it's decreasing that is all good in the hood for me. I hope more people start doing it really.

 

Although, I accidentally ate a packet of Twiglets which was 4 months out of date, the other week. But I'm fine and wheat can't be that bad ha.

I am paranoid about use by dates of food

 

I never eat anything that is even a day over if it is meat, fish, poultry, anything like that, simply just throw it in the bin

 

 

Tesco's have jumped on the bandwagon.

 

Naturally being Tesco they'd do anything for a bit of cash.

 

They were selling maderia cake that they couldn't sell for new year, slightly more than half price and two days out of date. :rolleyes:

nope

 

i know it might be safe, but im not gonna risk it.

I use up outdated food but I wouldn't buy it. It does depend on the type of food, out of date meat wouldn't be any good to anyone, but some food seems to keep for ages.

 

What comes to mind is a jar or Nescafe Decaf coffee which for some reason had sat in the cupboard untapped and not got used in order. It's best before dated is 2006. I tapped it recently and it looks, tastes and smell like new. It will soon be gone. :P

i've used bread after it's best before. It wasn't stale no signs of mold and it still felt soft so in the toaster it went.

 

wouldn't risk it with anything that could make me ill. egg milk meat fish and products that contain them would be a no no for me.

:puke2:

 

no. i don't play with food like that.

No I don't eat food, that has gone pass its sell by date, it normally ends up in the bin.

I will eat chocolate that's out of date, it never tastes any different...

 

as for other food, no

 

I'm very picky with milk, if it's been open for 2 days I'll sometimes throw it away if there is any slight smell to it

I've always done that!

I hunt for bargains everywhere. Got loads of great big name toiletries like Lynx and such all on offer and they'll last me for months down the line. Do the same with food. You can freeze stuff to extend the shelflife innit.

 

I kick the credit crunch's arse.

There is something totally undignified about buying out of date food, I just couldn't do it and wouldn't do it

I would still eat out-of-date food if it looked and smelt fine (though not bread or meat). But BUYING it? I don't know...I'm too much of a snob.

 

I'm really surprised that this practice is legal though. Maybe I'm very naive, but I thought we were supposed to be living in the Nanny State?

Edited January 13, 200916 yr by Shoat

you can eat beef such as steaks but not mince past it sell by date, but only a day or two as it often tastes better as it ages, as for anything else if it has a best before date it is fine to eat it afterwards, but id it has a use by date you shouldn't eat it after that date, best before that means just that best before a certain date, and are only on a product because legislation states all food should be dated

Buy it....? Fukk off.... Supermarkets chuck outpast-date food, I should know, I used to work for one as a student.... Me and my colleagues would occasionally just take stuff (usually ready meals, etc) that was getting chucked, it was all okay, either eat it right away or stick it in the freezer, I'm still alive, no food poisoning, so, I dont see the prob....

 

How typical though of Tesco to make people buy what the store would otherwise chuck out..... <_< Fukkin' Capitlist bullsh!t, if it's stuff for chucking out, they should just be giving it away.....

 

I check for best before dates at work and i always throw away loads of stuff. If I found something with this months date on then I could reduce it, but I can only knock off 25%, only managers can reduce stuff more than that, and sell it to customers. Anything thats within a month out of date I'm allowed to sell in the staff canteen, and anything older than that gets chucked away.

 

Last July I found kids sweets with Aug 06 on them, almost two years out of date :lol: They weren't pushed to the back of the shelf or anything so someone could have easily picked them up and not realised (although the bag was a bit of a funny colour).