Food Waste & MHD+
Reducing food waste: Why we sell food even after its best-before date
Throwing away food just because a date on the packaging has passed? That doesn't always have to be the case. At looddl, we want to help ensure that food which is still perfectly good is put to good use. That's why we continue to sell suitable products even after their best-before date – clearly labelled, significantly reduced in price and in accordance with the recommendations of foodwaste.ch.
What exactly is food waste?
Food waste refers to food that is lost or discarded even though it would generally still be suitable for human consumption. This can happen throughout the entire food chain – during production, in retail, in the food service industry or at home.
For shelf-stable foods in particular, the date printed on the packaging plays an important role. An expired best-before date does not automatically mean that a food product has spoiled.
Best-before date is not the same as use-by date
This distinction is crucial:
“Best before ...” (MHD)
The best-before date indicates the date until which a food product retains its specific properties when stored correctly. Many products can still be perfectly good after this date.
“Use by ...” (use-by date)
The use-by date is used for highly perishable foods. Once this date has passed, these foods may not simply continue to be distributed.
What does MHD+ mean?
This is exactly where the MHD+ concept comes in. Together with specialist organisations, foodwaste.ch provides principles and recommendations on how foods with a best-before date can be assessed and distributed even after that date has passed.
Different time periods apply depending on the food category. The date on the packaging is not the only deciding factor: The product must have been stored correctly and must continue to meet food safety and quality requirements.
You can find more information directly at foodwaste.ch – Check the shelf life .
How we handle MHD products at looddl
As a food retailer, we regularly face a simple question: What happens to a product when its best-before date is approaching or has already passed?
For us, the wrong answer would be to automatically dispose of a suitable product that is still perfectly good.
That's why we have a clear approach to such products at looddl:
- We follow the guidelines and MHD+ recommendations of foodwaste.ch.
- We check whether a product is suitable for distribution beyond its best-before date.
- Corresponding items are clearly labelled MHD+ in our online shop.
- We transparently display the actual best-before date on the product page.
- The products are significantly reduced in price.
This is how you can recognise these products at looddl: MHD+ labelling, a visible best-before date and a reduced price. This way, we want to be transparent about what you are buying.
Why we don't simply dispose of these products
Behind every food product are raw materials, agriculture, processing, packaging, storage and transport. With our product range in particular, there are often also long transport routes from Asian countries of origin.
Disposing of a product solely because its best-before date has passed, even though it can still be distributed in accordance with the relevant guidelines, would therefore be unnecessary food waste in our view.
With MHD+, we give these products another chance – and at the same time, you can discover food products at a significantly reduced price.
What you should know when buying an MHD+ product
When you buy a product labelled MHD+ at looddl, you can see before ordering that it is such an item. The best-before date is displayed on the product page and the selling price is reduced.
The same basic principle applies at home to foods with a best-before date: store them correctly and check them carefully after opening or before consumption. For many shelf-stable foods, appearance, smell and taste can provide important indications as to whether the product is still in good condition.
Our goal: save instead of waste
As a food retailer, we won't be able to prevent food waste entirely. But we can try to deal with it responsibly.
For looddl, this means that a food product should not automatically end up in the bin just because its best-before date has passed. If further distribution is possible in accordance with the applicable guidelines, we want to make use of that opportunity.
You can easily recognise these offers by the MHD+ label.
And what can you do at home to reduce food waste?
Even small habits can help: plan your shopping, store food correctly, use older products first and don't automatically assume that a product needs to be thrown away when its best-before date has passed.
If you're unsure, foodwaste.ch provides a practical overview of numerous foods and explains how their shelf life can be assessed.
Check shelf life at foodwaste.ch
Together against food waste
Every food product that is put to good use instead of being unnecessarily discarded is at least a small step in the right direction. That's why we don't want to hide our MHD+ products, but deliberately make them visible.
Maybe you'll discover one of these products the next time you shop at looddl. Now you know exactly what our MHD+ label stands for.
Best regards
your looddl team