Sell-by dates are to be removed from the printed labels on foods in a bid to cut the amount that is thrown away in Britain each year.

Previously, sell-by information had been used for stock control purposes, but waste experts have long argued that it confused shoppers and encouraged them to think items are spoiled while they are actually still fine to eat.

In future, only either a best before or a use-by date will be permitted on packaging.

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said: "A simpler and safer date labelling guide will help households cut down on the £12 billion worth of good food that ends up in the bin [each year]."

Best before dates only indicate when a food is likely to start losing its optimum flavour.

It is the use by dates on printed labels that are more serious, as they are placed on items such as eggs to indicate when they will become dangerous to consume.

Food manufacturers may wish to consider adding booklet labels to their products in order to explain the changes and what each bit of information means to shoppers.

Denny Bros Ltd, 16 September 2011