Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - According to Minister of Agriculture Peter Hauk, the best-before date on food should be abolished so that less food ends up in the bin. In its current form, it is still a reason why too much food is thrown away, said Hauk on Monday. The term often suggests that food is inedible after the best-before date has passed. The CDU politician also believes that food should only be marked with the production date in the future. As the new chairman of the Conference of Consumer Protection Ministers, he wants to discuss the proposal with the federal and state governments. The SWR reported first.
"We don't have to worry about food that's in the bin. Our goal must be that it doesn't end up there in the first place," said Hauk, who has been campaigning for many years to ensure that consumers consume less perishable food pay close attention to the expiration date. "People also have to rely on their senses again and smell, see and taste whether food is still good," he said again on Monday.
However, Hauk rejects a proposal by Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir (Greens) that so-called containers, i.e. taking food that has already been thrown away from waste containers, should no longer be punished. "Anyone who wants to save food that is still edible from waste containers should not be prosecuted," Özdemir told the "Rheinische Post". According to Hauk, that would be theft. "Baden-Württemberg's approach is to curb food waste and lay the foundations so that the food doesn't even end up in the container when it's still edible," said Hauk when asked.
The best before date indicates when food should be in perfect condition. However, this does not mean that products will start to deteriorate after this date.
