Tirlán has partnered with Too Good To Go Partners to help tackle food waste
- Too Good To Go aims to help clarify label meanings and reduce food waste with launch of new Look-Smell-Taste campaign
- More than a third of Irish consumers surveyed are discarding potentially edible food due to Best Before dates
Too Good to Go Survey Findings:
- 38% of Irish consumers surveyed discard food due to passing its Best Before dates
- 14% surveyed believe food past its Best Before date means it’s unsafe to eat, 27% worry about getting sick from eating food past its Best Before date
- 15% surveyed discard 3-5 food items per week due to Best Before dates
- The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Irish households produce over 250,000 tonnes of food waste per year. This equates to a cost of €700 per household annually
Too Good To Go, the social impact company behind a surplus food app, has teamed up with a number of leading Irish brands to address the confusion surrounding food labels, and reduce unnecessary food waste.
The Look-Smell-Taste campaign aims to raise consumers awareness about the difference between Use By and Best Before labels, encouraging the nation to use their senses to determine if food past its Best Before date may still be good to eat.
Tirlán’s Wexford Cheese is joining participating brands such as Guinness Food Products, Ballymaloe Foods, Danone, Kellogg’s, The Plant-It Food Co., and others will now include a new ‘Look-Smell-Taste Don’t Waste’ label on their products to guide consumers.
Charlie McConalogue, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, said:
“The UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 aims to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels by 2030. This ambition is reflected in Ireland’s Food Waste Prevention Roadmap and in Food Vision 2030, the 10 year strategy for the agri food sector, which include actions to prevent and reduce food waste. This initiative by Too Good To Go aims to help consumers to differentiate between “use by” and “best before dates” on food products in their homes because, in some cases, some food that has passed its “best before date” may not need to be wasted but may still be good to eat” We can all help to achieve the 2030 target by identifying what food we waste in our households, why we waste food and examining ways to reduce our food waste. Taking the time to evaluate food with the “best before dates” is one way to manage and prevent food waste.”
New research* conducted by Too Good To Go reveals that some Irish consumers are confused about the meaning of food labels. The survey found that 14% of Irish adults surveyed mistakenly believe that a Best Before label indicates that the food is unsafe to consume after the specified date, while just under a third surveyed (27%) worry that eating food waste on its Best Before date will make them sick.
This misconception is leading to unnecessary food disposal, with 38% of Irish adults surveyed admitting to throwing away food that had gone past its ‘Best Before’ date.
Research also revealed that 25% of Irish households waste over €10 worth of food each week due to misunderstandings about Best Before dates. This contributes to a significant amount of unnecessary food waste in the country. To combat this issue, Too Good To Go encourages consumers to adopt simple food waste reduction strategies, such as freezing surplus food and creating detailed shopping lists to avoid impulse purchases.
Ireland now joins the list of other 13 countries from around the world in which the Look-Smell-Taste campaign is live with over 530 partnering brands.
16 brands in Ireland have already signed on to the campaign, pledging to switch products from Use By to Best Before labels appropriate in accordance with shelf life studies undertaken to support the change in date labelling and FSAI Guidance** and provide clear on-pack reminders to consumers.
Best Before product lines from these brands will now include a new label on product packaging, created by Too Good To Go, to remind consumers to trust their senses - and ‘Look-Smell-Taste, Don’t Waste’ - before throwing away food past its Best Before date.
Speaking about the campaign, Sophie Trueman, Managing Director for Ireland and UK at Too Good To Go said:
“The partnership between Too Good To Go and these iconic Irish brands is a hugely positive step towards combating food waste and reducing the environmental impact of food consumption across Ireland. The support and backing of these businesses play an important role in raising awareness about the issue of food waste to consumers, but also addresses the confusion surrounding food labels.
The Look-Smell-Taste campaign is another vital step in Too Good To Go’s mission to expand our sustainability efforts within the Irish market and we encourage other food businesses and brands to join the initiative to reduce food waste and create a more sustainable future for all.”
Dr Lisa Koep, Chief ESG Officer with Tirlán, which produces a range of award-winning consumer brands, including Wexford Cheese, said:
"We are delighted to be taking part in Too Good to Go's 'Look-Smell-Taste' Initiative and will proudly feature the logo on the packaging of our award-winning Wexford Cheese brand in the coming months. This campaign builds on the existing work across our business to minimise food waste, and importantly supports consumers to understand that many food products can be consumed beyond their best before date.”
What is the difference between Best Before date and Use By date?
- The Use By date is for food safety. Food should not be eaten after the Use By date.
- The Best Before date is about optimal food quality. In many cases, food can still safely be consumed after the Best Before date, if stored correctly.
Remember to trust your senses: if a Best Before-labelled food has been stored correctly, and looks, smells, and tastes okay, then it may be perfectly safe to consume.
Too Good To Go is committed to helping consumers make informed decisions about their food and reduce food waste. By partnering with Irish brands and raising awareness about food labels, the company hopes to make a significant impact on the issue.
For more information about Too Good To Go, visit https://next.toogoodtogo.com/en-ie
*Research was commissioned by Too Good To Go and conducted by Empathy Research through an online survey across a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults aged 18+ in September 2024.
Too Good To Go is committed to helping consumers make informed decisions about their food and reduce food waste. By partnering with Irish brands and raising awareness about food labels, the company hopes to make a significant impact on the issue.
For more information about Too Good To Go, visit https://next.toogoodtogo.com/en-ie