Date Labels: Cracking the Code to Cut Europe’s Food Waste

Europe generates over 58 million tonnes of food waste each year, more than half of it in our own kitchens. Much of what goes in the bin is still edible but has crossed a misunderstood boundary on its packaging: the phrases best before and use by.
Recent work within the SISTERS project surveyed 1 507 consumers in six EU countries and confirmed that confusion around those two terms still drives avoidable waste, even though three-quarters of respondents can now state the correct difference between them.

What the research shows

The survey grouped Europeans into three profiles. Higher-involvement shoppers (about one quarter) follow date labels closely and plan meals around them. Lower-involvement shoppers (roughly one third) rely more on sight and smell than on printed dates; the remainder sit in between. Consumers who fully understand that foods remain edible after the best-before date report throwing away unopened products 30 % less often than those who do not.
Yet understanding alone is not enough. People who forget to rotate cupboards or who buy items already near expiry can raise waste volumes by up to 160 %. By contrast, storing earlier dates at the front of the fridge or pantry lowers the amount discarded by roughly 20 %.

Why it matters beyond the kitchen

Eurostat values EU food waste at €132 billion a year. According to FAO estimates, global food loss generates more greenhouse gases than commercial aviation. The European Union has therefore pledged to cut household and retail waste by 30 % by 2030, mirroring Sustainable Development Goal 12.3.

What consumers can do—without a checklist

Small changes in routine make a difference. The following tips draw on advice from the European Food Information Council (EUFIC) and the UK charity WRAP:

• Keeping soon-to-expire foods at eye level means they are eaten first.
• Writing the opening date on a jar or tub removes the guesswork that often ends in needless disposal.
• Spending a couple of minutes to audit the fridge before shopping prevents doubling up on perishables.
• Freezing items such as bread or cheese on the day of purchase, if they will not be eaten quickly, preserves quality and eliminates last-minute waste.
• Where available, QR codes can be optimised to make storage, preparation and recycling guidance quicker to find; within SISTERS we are testing these improvements to support household food-waste reduction, and this work is in progress.

A note for brands and policy-makers

Clear typography, high-contrast colours and unambiguous wording lift comprehension even among the least engaged shoppers. Pairing that clarity with sensory prompts — “look, smell, taste” — can reassure those who trust instinct over information. Communication strategies should be tailored to the three involvement profiles identified above when designing supermarket signage, social-media campaigns and school resources.

The road ahead

Halving food waste by 2030 will not be achieved by legislation alone: it hinges on millions of daily decisions made in homes across Europe. The date-label survey shows that consumers already hold much of the knowledge they need; the challenge is to turn that knowledge into habit. When a yoghurt slips past its best-before date, pause, inspect and taste before you toss. Those thirty seconds, multiplied across the continent, could save tonnes of food and push Europe closer to its climate goals.

Conclusion

Ultimately, cracking the date-label code is less about reading small print and more about valuing the food we buy. By combining clearer packaging with simple household routines, European families can keep good food on the plate, money in their pockets and carbon out of the atmosphere.