London - 26 January 2020 - Too Good To Go, the anti-food waste company, has partnered with some of the nation’s favourite brands to tackle date label confusion and help eliminate food waste.

The ‘Look, Smell, Taste, Don’t Waste’ campaign, which launches today (26 January) already has 25 brands signed up, and Too Good To Go is calling on others to follow. The campaign will see brands switching products from “Use By” to “Best Before” labels where appropriate, as well as giving on pack reminders to consumers to use their senses to decide whether to eat food past its Best Before.

The Best Before date is an indicator of quality rather than safety. Food will be safe to eat after the date shown, but its flavour and texture may not be as good quality. On the other hand, Use By dates are safety measures stating that food should not be eaten after the date shown, regardless of whether it looks and smells fine.

New research conducted by Too Good To Go suggests that in the UK, 45% of adults are confused about the true meaning of “Best Before” labels on food. When it comes to checking whether food is good to eat or not, over one third (39%) of Brits do not use their senses to make a decision about food that is past its “Best Before”. This is leading to food being thrown away unnecessarily.

Amongst the 25 taking part are some of the nation’s biggest brands. Arla (Cravendale), Bel Group (The Laughing Cow), Danone (Danone, Actimel, Activia, Oykos, Light & Free), Emmi UK (Onken & Beleaf), Nestle and Savencia (Saint Agur Creme) have all signed up to join the ‘Look, Smell, Taste, Don’t Waste’ campaign. Some Best Before product lines from these brands will include a new pictogram, created by Too Good To Go, to remind consumers to trust their senses instead of just relying on “Best Before” date labels.

Also joining the campaign and providing ‘Look, Smell, Taste, Don’t Waste’ messaging to consumers via promotional materials and product line communications are the following brands:

• The Bay Tree

• Loving Foods

• Alternative Foods (OGGS)

• Greens for Good

• The Cornish Cheese Co

• Dunsters Farm

• Sea Chips

• SpareSnacks

• Nibs Etc.

• Glorious Game

• Eat Love Raw

• Punchy Drinks

• Dash Water

• Fruity Packs

On the launch, Jamie Crummie, co-founder of Too Good To Go, said: “Date labelling has long caused confusion and unnecessary food waste in the UK. If we are to make significant strides to reducing food waste, we need to take action now. This is why we’re launching our national, industry-wide ‘Look, Smell, Taste, Don’t Waste’ campaign.

“I’m delighted that we’re launching this campaign alongside 25 household brands. To have Arla, Bel Group, Danone, Emmi UK, and Nestle already committing to educate their consumers, is a huge testament to the power that collective action can have. I’m calling on other brands who haven’t yet taken the steps to join the campaign to get in touch - we’d love to have you join our food waste movement.”

Harriet O’Regan, Director for Milk, Arla, said: “Having previously been the first in the milk category to make the switch from Use By to Best Before, helping consumers reduce food waste is something that Arla and our farmer owners are extremely passionate about. Milk is one of the most wasted foods in the home, so to extend our previous work in tackling label confusion and support the ‘Look, Smell, Taste, Don’t Waste’ campaign is another way we can play a part in reducing the amount of valuable milk that ends up being poured away.

“As part of our commitment, we will be rolling out the campaign messaging on Arla Cravendale milk to help consumers use their senses instead of relying on date labelling.”

Elodie Parre, CSR Director, Bel Group, said: “For over 150 years, the portion format has been the signature of the Bel Group. It represents a major asset in the fight against food waste, allowing optimal preservation of products and the right portion of nutrition. As an actor committed to healthier and more responsible food for all, Bel fights against food waste at each stage of the production of our cheeses, from farm to plate and has the power to engage consumers, and new generations. Alongside Too Good To Go and the other members of the campaign we want to raise awareness and engage our consumers in the movement”

Adam Grant, regional VP Danone Essential Dairy and Plant Based, UK & Ireland, said: “It’s shocking to think that more than 6 million tonnes of food is wasted in UK households each year. In line with our ‘One Planet. One Health’ vision and our B Corp commitment, I’m proud that Danone Essential Dairy & Plant-based brands are some of the first brands joining Too Good To Go’s 'Look, Smell, Taste, Don't Waste' campaign and moving from ‘Use By’ to ‘Best Before’ date labelling. We'll also be adding campaign messaging to our packs to encourage our consumers to use their senses to avoid needless waste.

“With some of the nation’s favourite yogurt brands making this move, we will play a role in preventing unnecessary household food waste while supporting consumers to understand when food is still safe to eat.”

Alice Carey, Sustainability Manager at Emmi UK said: “Emmi UK is delighted to be one of the inaugural brands joining the UK launch of the Too Good To Go campaign addressing date label confusion in the bid to reduce food waste. As the UK's No. 1 Flavoured Big Pot Yogurt Brand and having used ‘Best Before’ labelling for many years now, from January 2021, the Emmi owned Onken brand will also highlight the "Look, Smell, Taste, Don’t Waste" messaging on its packaging.”

Stefano Agostini, CEO, Nestlé UK&I said: “Building on our work in reducing food waste across our operations, we’re delighted to support Too Good To Go’s 'Look, Smell, Taste, Don't Waste' campaign. With an estimated 180,000 tonnes of food wasted every year across the UK due to confusion over date labelling, it is crucial that food manufacturers and retailers take collaborative action and a consistent approach to helping consumers reduce food waste.

“Nestlé will be rolling out the new labelling on a progressive basis, across key products produced in the UK and Ireland, to support consumers in the war on waste.”

Christophe Sire, General Manager, Savencia UK&I said: “We are delighted to be part of the Too Good to Go’s ‘Look, Smell, Taste, Don’t Waste’ campaign as it reaffirms Savencia’s commitment in fighting food waste in the UK. The objective of this campaign is to reduce confusion over date labelling in order to reduce food waste. We will be supporting Too Good To Go through the progressive introduction of new labelling on some of our cheeses.”

Ben Elliot, the Food Surplus and Waste Champion for Defra said: “Every year, significant amounts of food are unnecessarily wasted across the country.

“Often food that has passed its ‘Best Before’ date is perfectly safe to eat for weeks, or even months after. It is important that we help people better understand whether produce is safe to eat, and that information on food is clear, helping people make these decisions.

“I strongly support the Too Good To Go campaign and its goal to tackle food waste – and by partnering with a great variety of brands and retailers, I hope that we see a real difference soon.”

David Moon, Head of Business Collaboration at WRAP said, “Helping people understand date labels to make the most of their food is a really important way to avoid food going to waste. Food with a ‘Best Before’ date can be good to eat for days, weeks or even months beyond the date on pack depending on the food type, and how it’s been stored and Love Food Hate Waste provides advice on how to store food correctly. We support Too Good To Go’s call for people to use their senses in deciding when to eat food labelled with a ‘Best Before’ date. It’s important though to remember that a ‘Use By’ date is the safety marker, and there to protect us. Food with a ‘Use By’ date should never be eaten after that date, so we should try to use or freeze these items before they expire.”

For more information on Too Good To Go’s ‘Look, Smell, Taste, Don’t Waste’ campaign and for details on how to join the initiative visit looksmelltaste.co.uk.

ENDS

Note to editor: Survey of 2,032 nationally represented consumers conducted by Markettiers on behalf of Too Good To Go between 4-8 January 2021.

High res images available here

Consumers should always check food labels and not consume food after it’s Use By date.

ABOUT TOO GOOD TO GO

Too Good To Go has a simple mission: to make sure all food gets eaten, not wasted.

In 2016, a group of entrepreneurs witnessed restaurant staff throwing away fresh food. The food’s only problem? It hadn’t sold in time, and no one was around to take it off the restaurant’s hands. The group pioneered a seamless solution: an app that lists businesses’ unsold food so local diners can find, buy and enjoy it.

Now, thousands of Magic Bags are rescued from businesses such as supermarkets, restaurants, and bakeries every day. The success of the app powers Too Good To Go’s wider efforts to drive a food waste movement, working with schools, industries and governments to build a planet-friendly food system.

Too Good To Go by numbers:

15 countries

57 million meals saved globally

30 million app installs globally

67,000 partner stores globally

2020 became a registered B-Corp

Find out more at www.toogoodtogo.co.uk, or visit us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

PR Contact:

Belinda Hallworth - PR Manager

bhallworth@toogoodtogo.co.uk

07519993364