Federalimentare against the wording «Good spent beyond» on the expiry dates

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The European label with the words “Often good beyond” on the expiration date has not yet arrived on supermarket shelves which is already controversial. “The wording” Often good beyond ” – writes Federalimentare – cannot be legally defined, therefore we believe that this type of expressions should not be requested on a mandatory basis, but only on a voluntary basis”. In short, the food industries contest the EU Commission’s proposal not so much on the merits of the objective of wanting to reduce food waste, as on the choice of method: expressions such as “often good after”, argue the entrepreneurs, raise uncertainties relating to the legal liability of the operators of the food sector with possible consequences for the integrity of the brand. Concepts such as “often”, “good” and “after”, that is, cannot be legally defined. «Although relevant for many products – they say from Federalimentare – “Often good after” is not appropriate for everyone. For this reason such expressions must be at the discretion of the producer».

Coldiretti is more in favor of the proposal contained in the draft delegated regulation of the EU Commission. With some distinctions, however: «Any additions on the label that help to make informed purchasing choices are positive as long as they are clear and well understandable, without causing confusion – writes the association -. However, it is important to maintain the minimum durability date on the label with the words “Best before”, which indicates the date until which the food product retains its organoleptic and gustatory, or nutritional characteristics”. In Italian homes, recalls Coldiretti, an average of over 27 kilos of food is thrown away every year per inhabitant, with economic losses in household budgets of almost 6.5 billion euros.