
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have issued new guidance to help food suppliers decide what information to give consumers about storing food and time limits for consumption.
Once food packaging has been opened, bacteria can be transferred to food by contaminated hands, surfaces, or equipment. Setting a time limit for consumption is complex, but this guidance aims to assist food suppliers in deciding whether it is appropriate to give consumers other instructions in addition to the ‘use by’ or ‘best before’ dates.
The guidance also includes advice on good practices for defrosting food safely such as thawing at low temperatures, keeping thawed food in the original packaging or clean container, consumers following manufacturer’s storage and preparation instructions and not re-freezing after thawing.
You can download the guidance here
Also, in December 2020, experts developed a tool to help food business operators decide when to apply the ‘use by’ or ‘best before’ date to their products, which members may find useful.