The European Union (EU) is set to make changes to 'best before' labels for items such as rice, pasta and coffee, as the labels are found to be inappropriate for such food stuffs.
Blaming the labeling for food that is being wasted, several EU countries are pushing to make the changes to cut down the wastage across Europe.
On a sustainable food system, the executive arm of EU, the European Commission is preparing a report, considering growing worries pertaining to food security.
In June 2014, the officials of the European Commission plan to place these proposals before member countries, which are said to allow national governments to extend the list of foods that do not need best-before dates.
EU agriculture ministers have discussed over the issue and claimed that the labels recommending consumption before a specific date were inappropriate for products such as coffee, rice, dry pasta, hard cheeses, jams and pickles.
A document has been put forth by the ministers, which noted that the shelf lfe of the products can be maintained for a longer period, even in the absence of 'best before' date system that is causing food waste unnecessarily.
Dutch Agriculture Minister Sharon Dijksma told AFP that best before labeling has nothing to do with health.
"We really need to do more," Dijksma added.
The Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Luxembourg and Sweden are some of the countries, which are supporting the changes to reduce the food waste problem.
Around 35% of food ends up being thrown away and most of it is dumped by consumers in the developed countries, according to the World Bank.
Image: EU to make changes on best before labeling dates to reduce food wastage. Photo: Courtesy of Edward Betts.
