Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I draw the House's attention to a new law that has been introduced in France that will force the big supermarkets to give unsold food to charities. I do not believe there is need for the same legislation in Ireland because the vast majority of supermarkets already give unsold food to charities. It is interesting to see how much unsold food there is and how much food is thrown away when people are hungry in various parts of France.It may well happen in some cases, but to the best of my knowledge supermarkets here give their surplus food to various charities. The reason I mention this is that some products have a "best before" date rather than a "use by" date. I mentioned this issue here previously, but I have not seen anything being done about it. The "best before" term should not be used. We should use the term "use by". I remember an occasion in one of our supermarkets where a customer complained new potatoes she was buying on a Saturday had a "best before" Sunday date. I went to our supplier and asked about this and he told me they were best before that date and should be used within 24 hours of being picked. However, that did not mean there was anything wrong with them or that they were damaged. If a person was to get them at their best for taste, that is what the "best before" date meant.

I do not believe we need legislation, but I would like to encourage the disuse of the term "best before" and the use of the term "use by". On that basis we would have less waste of good food and surplus food would be used by people who need it.