Food products that have a long shelf life – such as honey, tea, or rice – should no longer have an expiration date. German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir stated this at the start of a meeting with his European counterparts in Luxembourg. The measure should lead to less food being thrown away.
GERMANY, Oct 23 (Telegraph News) – According to Özdemir, it is “completely pointless” that foods that have a long shelf life have an expiration date. The minister therefore believes that the European Commission should propose binding rules for the EU on this matter. “We need a binding exemption list for certain products with a long lifespan,” it said.
According to figures from the European Commission, almost 59 million food waste is produced in the EU every year. This amounts to approximately 131 kilograms per inhabitant. About 10 percent of all food delivered to families, restaurants, and retailers is wasted.
There is already European waste legislation that obliges Member States to take measures, but according to the Commission, this has not produced sufficient results. That is why she proposed a directive with binding targets in July. Member States should reduce waste by 10 percent in food processing and production and by 30 percent in retail, restaurant, and household consumption by 2030.
