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4w ago

Australia Launches Co-Design of National Food Date Label Framework to Cut Waste

Supermarkets, producers, government will co-design clearer date labels with storage advice to curb household food waste.

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Australians are throwing away billions of tonnes of food each year and much of it could still be edible. Confusing food labels may be a major reason why, according to new reports.
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Overview

  • Australians discard 7.6 million tonnes of food annually—40 percent from households—costing the economy about $36.6 billion and roughly $2,500 per family each year.
  • Confusing ‘best before’ and ‘use-by’ distinctions lead consumers to bin food that remains safe and edible.
  • Workshops reveal consumers favour larger, clearer dates and simple icons, while industry stakeholders prioritise food safety, regulatory compliance and are wary of cost pass-through.
  • The UK retail sector’s adoption of standardized date labeling without compromising safety offers a working model for Australia.
  • The National Date Labeling and Storage Advice Project has entered its co-design phase, bringing supermarkets, brands and government together to develop and test a unified national framework.