Standardising food expiry labels may raise costs: Koh Poh Koon

Such a move could restrict choices of food that Singapore imports, he says

- Lee Li Ying

Standardising "use by" and "best before" date labels for food could result in additional costs and compliance burden for food manufacturers, and impact how Singapore imports food, especially as over 90 per cent of it is from abroad.

Instead, consumers should take both labels to mean that food is unlikely to be fit for consumption after the dates indicated on the labels, said Dr Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment, in Parliament on Feb 7.

He was responding to a parliamentary question by Ms He Ting Ru (Sengkang GRC) on whether the Government will consider updating and standardising "use by" and "best before" date labels for food to reduce confusion over whether food needs to be disposed of for safety reasons, and to reduce food waste.

According to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), "use by" dates are for highly perishable foods such as milk and yoghurt. Consumers are advised not to consume these foods after the date stated on the label.

"Best before" dates are for foods with a longer shelf life such as cereal. They indicate how long the foods will be at their best quality.