The EU is planning a drastic change that could affect supermarkets such as Aldi, Lidl, Rewe and Co.
Will there soon be no best-before date?
Kassel - A food has a long path from creation to processing and on to the plate.
Until then, there will be a few tons of waste.
The EU now obviously wants to counteract this.
The change could also affect discounters and supermarkets such as Aldi *, Lidl *, Rewe * and Co.
With 52 percent of all food waste, a large part of the garbage is generated in private households.
This is the result of a study by the Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute (TI) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Food together with the University of Stuttgart.
Around 12 million tons of food are thrown away every year in Germany alone.
The other part is made up of the large corporations that can no longer sell their products after the best-before date (BBD) has expired.
Change at Aldi, Lidl, Rewe and Co .: No more best before date in the future?
But what is the EU planning?
According to Handelsblatt, many laws are to be revised in the coming months.
That could mean that foods that have a particularly long shelf life if stored correctly should no longer have a best-before date according to current plans.
This was also reported by the consumer portal chip.de.
The change would therefore primarily affect products such as rice, pasta, coffee, oil and tea.
In a second step, the note “best before ...” would also be omitted for other foods.
Alternatively, the reference could also be replaced by another, more understandable designation, for example "often good after ...".
However, a use-by date would remain for fresh foods such as meat, fish and other perishable goods.
The company Unilever, which includes brands such as Knorr and Langnese, has been supporting the “Often Longer Good” campaign since 2019.
With the additional reference to products, the company wants to draw attention to the fact that food is still easy to eat even after the best-before date has expired.
The Federal Office for Food and Agriculture also emphasized that the best-before date is not a throw-away date.
"Rather, it indicates the point in time up to which a food retains its specific properties under appropriate storage conditions."
So far: Aldi, Lidl, Rewe and Co. have to indicate the best-before date
The CDU MEP Christine Schneider also sees a need for action on the occasion of the enormous food waste.
“Products don't simply go bad the day after they expire,” the politician told the Handelsblatt.
"The situation in which people get edible food out of containers shows how urgently we need to act," she said.
She also sees supermarkets such as Aldi, Lidl, Rewe and Co. to be responsible.
So far, all manufacturers have had to indicate a best-before date on packaged foods.
For consumers, this guarantees that the product can be consumed without hesitation.
After the date has expired, the goods may then no longer be resold.
Even if the food still looks harmless, it often ends up in the trash.
Supermarkets deliver to aid organizations to save food
Supermarkets such as Aldi, Lidl, Rewe and Co. are already trying to counteract this by supplying aid organizations with the food that is still edible.
For example, other retailers offer expired products cheaper.
And yet the food waste in this country is immense.
You can find more exciting consumer news * on our topic page.
It could take a while until laws on the best-before date are finally passed by the EU and the requirements have been implemented in the EU member states.
As long as there is no change in the law, manufacturers and corporations are not allowed to act.
Another change that could affect supermarkets such as Aldi, Lidl, Rewe and Co. is the 2G rule *.
Could unvaccinated people have problems shopping soon?
(kas)
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