Sustainability groups are calling for unnecessary best-before dates on packaged fresh produce to be scrapped to cut down on household waste.

Food waste in Australia represents a staggering 312kg per person each year.

Several British supermarkets have removed best-before dates on fresh food products.

OzHarvest CEO Ronni Kahn told Steve Mills on Millsy at Midday that best before dates are just about quality.

“Australia has committed to halving food waste by 2030,” she said.

“Food waste is costing our country $36.6 billion a year.”

Tap PLAY to hear why she thinks best before needs to go.

Ian Connellan, the Editor-In-Chief of the Royal Institution of Australia (publisher of Cosmos magazine), told Gareth Parker that it’s all about reducing household waste.

“They’re saying that you need to separate ‘best before’ and ‘used by,” he said on 6PR Breakfast.

“Best before is just a guideline, so the food looks a bit better,”

“Whereas Used By is a legal requirement, it is often based on a scientific analysis of the food.”

Tap PLAY to hear how removing best before dates could reduce the shocking amount of waste created each year.

Another British supermarket, Morrisons, scrapped use-by dates on milk in favour of customers using the ‘sniff test’ in January, with research from the European Union suggesting such moves could reduce household waste by 63 per cent.