Getting thrifty

Since deciding to not rush back to work, i’ve had to become a little bit more thrifty.  I am a classic impulse buyer; if I see something and I want it, I just buy it.  Now that I’m no longer contributing with a 9-5 “normal” job, I’m having to be a bit more creative when it comes to the weekly food shop!

And that’s basically how I discovered Approved Food.  I’ve long used the old “smell test” when it comes to food that have a best before date rather than a use by date, and it’s obviously frustrating when food that is perfectly good gets thrown out by supermarkets.  Every year in the UK we throw away 7.2m tonnes of food and drink, most of which could have been eaten.

If you don’t already know, here’s a little guide to the differences in the way that food is labelled:

BEST BEFORE
Best before dates are about quality, not safety.  The food typically just begins to gradually lose its flavour and texture after that date, nothing more.  This description mostly appears on dried (pasta/rice etc) and tinned food (like chopped tomatoes)

USE BY
Use by dates refer to safety and you will see on food that goes off quickly, such as fish, meat products and ready-prepared salads.

DISPLAY UNTIL/SELL BY
Date marks such as display until or sell by often appear near or next to the best before or use by date.  These are instructions for shop staff, not for shoppers.

So BEST BEFORE and USE BY are really the only ones you need to pay attention to.  Check out this guide on the NHS website if you want some more information regarding food labelling.

Approved Food is a website that sells food that are close to, or past their Best Before date.  They never sell food that is past it’s use-by date.