Look, Smell, Taste, Don't Waste!

Best Before labels: found on the packaging of foods such as cheese, crisps and fruit juice, these labels give a guideline for when products with flexible consumption dates will be at their optimum quality. However, many people confuse this label with 'Use By' - a label that marks when perishable foods like meat and fish become unsafe to eat. It's a simple misunderstanding, but it has damaging ramifications, accounting for 180,000 tonnes of perfectly good food being thrown away across the UK every year (WRAP).

Responsible for 8-10% of greenhouse gases (for comparison, aviation was responsible for 2% in 2019) food waste is one of the most significant problems threatening our planet. Target 12.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which by 2030 aims to "halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels", reflects the urgency of the issue.

To dramatically reduce the amount of food thrown away due to date label confusion, we teamed up with leading FMCG food brands to add a new label to accompany the Best Before on their packaging: 'Look, Smell, Taste, Don't Waste!�' The aim? To encourage consumers to trust their senses when deciding whether products with a lapsed Best Before are okay to eat.

The launch of the label was accompanied by a campaign that blended PR, social media, CRM, interactive digital content and influencer/celebrity endorsement, highlighting the difference between Use By and Best Before, and fuelling the conversation around food waste.