Shropshire catering expert welcomes labelling change
The boss of a Shropshire catering company has welcomed plans to regulate the food labelling system.
Sally Hammond, a director of Hammonds Catering Services, of Telford and Shrewsbury, is responding to new proposals to regulate labels in the EU and says that clarification is needed as soon as possible.
Halesfield-based Hammonds is one of the region’s largest food-related firms providing catering for major companies in the county including GKN Sankey, Age Concern and Shropshire Council.
“The present system is extremely confusing for both business and individual consumers,” Mrs Hammond commented.
The European Commission says food labels need updating because many shoppers now buy off the Internet and packaging is constantly changing. It is hoped that clearer labels will help combat food wastage and help consumers manage their food in a better way.
“What we need is one simple and clear ‘Use before’ label so that there is no confusion on shelf life or storage times,” she stressed.
“Supermarkets are largely responsible - protecting their own interests by clouding the issue on the longevity of products such as meat, fruit and vegetables and offloading dated goods by offering ‘buy one get one free’ which encourages people to buy more than they need, a lot of which simply ends up in the bin.
“Clearly visible ‘Use before’ dated labels are needed and then consumers will know exactly when to throw doubtful food away, instead of the vast amount of food currently being discarded and wasted owing to the present varied and confusing signage,” Mrs Hammond added.
