The costly contradiction hiding in Australian kitchens

As Australians look for ways to cut grocery costs, confusing food date labels could be driving people to throw out food that's still perfectly safe to eat.

New survey data from financial comparison site Finder suggests 14 per cent of Australians say they've resorted to eating expired food to save money, while 68 per cent of the 1,010 survey participants said they've taken money-saving measures to afford food.

At the same time, confusion over what "use-by" and "best-before" dates actually mean could be costing households at the other end.

OzHarvest has been campaigning for reforms to Australia's date label system, arguing that "evidence has moved on" since it was established more than two decades ago.

The food rescue organisation says date labelling is a major driver of unnecessary food waste.

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Research commissioned by the group found food reaching its best-before or use-by date was the most commonly cited reason for disposal, reported by 58 per cent of high-wasting households and 44 per cent of low-waste households.

"Consumers are really confused by the difference between best-before and use-by," said RMIT associate professor Lukas Parker, who has authored research on the topic with End Food Waste Australia.

"We know it's around 50 per cent or more of people just don't know the difference," he told SBS News.

A 2021 government-backed national study estimated Australian households throw away up to $2,500 worth of food each year, with 7.6 million tonnes of food wasted annually — around 300kg per person.

The term "use-by" means the food carrying the label can only be guaranteed safe to consume until that date. Highly perishable products like fresh meat might carry this label.

A "best-before" date, on the other hand, means the product is still safe to consume after that date, but it might no longer be at its best. Products like cereals and pasta might come with a "best-before" label.

Food suppliers are responsible for putting these dates on their products.

According to Food Standards Australia New Zealand, you can still eat foods for a while after the best-before date. They may have lost some quality, but they can still be sold and consumed after the best-before date has passed.