10% of Dutch food waste caused by confusion over best before date

Every resident of the Netherlands throws away an average of 116 kilograms of food each year, with more than 2 billion kilograms discarded across the entire supply chain from production to consumer, much of it still perfectly edible, experts said Thursday. About 10 percent of that waste nationwide is tied to best-before dates on packaging, rising to 15 percent in consumers’ homes, according to figures from Too Good To Go, the social-impact company whose app lets people buy discounted leftover food from local stores and restaurants.

“That is somewhat lower than the European average, but still not something to be proud of,” Kathelijn van Elk, head of global impact programs at Too Good To Go, told RTL. “Often it involves products that did not have to be thrown away.”

“About half of the people do not know the difference between the TGT and THT date,” she said. Although the abbreviations have not been permitted on packaging since 2022, confusion over the two terms reportedly persists.

“Te gebruiken tot (TGT) really has to do with food safety. Ten minste houdbaar tot (THT) is a quality date,” explained Wieke van der Vossen, food safety expert at the Voedingscentrum. “Many products are still perfectly edible after that date, while you can no longer safely eat products with a ‘te gebruiken tot’ date once the date has expired.”

The wording itself does not always help, the experts said. “The term may not be very happily chosen, but companies are legally required to use it,” van der Vossen said.

Van Elk added: “The English terms ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ are actually clearer. Moreover, the explanation is often small and hidden on the packaging, while the date itself often has no clarification.”

Some products officially do not require a date at all because they last indefinitely: sugar, salt, vinegar, and wine, Van der Vossen said. Yet some manufacturers still print one to track batches in case something goes wrong, which frustrates van Elk. “The manufacturer could also use a number that consumers cannot see anything in. But by adding a date to such a product, there is a chance that it will be unnecessarily thrown away,” she told RTL.

In reality, many items remain safe and usable long after the printed date. Canned goods, for example, are heated to high temperatures during processing, killing bacteria, van der Vossen said. They can often stay good for up to a year past the date.

Flour and meal keep best in a sealed storage jar in a dark place such as a kitchen cabinet. It is no longer usable if it smells musty. Damp cabinets raise the risk of mold and even insects, she warned.

Pasta and rice hardly spoil at all if stored in a cool, dry, dark place in a tightly closed jar or container. Coffee also lasts longer than its date, though the flavor may change slightly, van der Vossen said. “It is often still perfectly good after the best-before date. But look, smell, and taste above all to judge. That applies to all these products,” she said.

Too Good To Go has been working with companies since 2022 to fight waste. More than 70 brands now participate, van Elk said. “On the packaging, there is an icon with an eye, nose, and mouth that encourages people to look, smell, and taste whether a product is still good after the stated date,” she said.

“Often there is also text next to it: often still good after date,” van der Vossen added. The symbols also help people who have less command of the language.