EN.pdf

The European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety conducted a market study on date marking and other information provided on food labels and food waste prevention. The study, written by ICF in association with Anthesis, Brook Lyndhurst, and WRAP, aimed to investigate the links between consumer use of date marks and food waste. The report found that date-marking practices in the EU food chain, determinants of product life, and the products that contribute most to food waste are crucial factors in food waste prevention. The study also examined stakeholder consultations on date marking practice, including producers' choice of date mark type, factors determining location and format of the date mark, and enforcement of date marking rules. The report concludes with recommendations on improving date marking and labelling to reduce food waste.