Alliance Against Food Waste: Food Literacy Campaign Launched

Leading consumer, sustainability, food safety, retail and food industry organizations in Turkey have issued a joint declaration to draw attention to the lack of information about Best Before Date (BBD) and Use By Date (UBD) that results in millions of tons of preventable food waste annually.

The parties, aiming to prevent approximately 14 million tons of food from being discarded annually in Turkey, announced that they have launched a comprehensive "Food Literacy Campaign" to ensure food labels are read correctly and to reduce invisible food waste occurring in households.

The joint statement emphasized that proper understanding of the BBD and UBD concepts will make significant contributions both to reducing food waste and to increasing public awareness.

14 Million Tons of Food Discarded Annually in Turkey
In Turkey, approximately 14 million tons of food are wasted annually at the direct consumption stage, originating from households, retail points and the service sector.

Not only food is wasted; water, energy, labor, time and the country's economic resources are also lost. According to experts, one of the most important reasons for food waste in households is consumers' inability to correctly interpret food labels.

72 Percent of the Public Does Not Know the Difference Between UBD and BBD
Research shows that 7 out of every 10 people in Turkey do not know the difference between Use By Date (UBD) and Best Before Date (BBD). This lack of information leads to millions of tons of safe, consumable food being unnecessarily discarded.

The organizations signing the declaration explained that they have launched an awareness campaign that will enable consumers to make decisions based on scientific knowledge rather than fear.

Call to the Public: Let's Read Food Labels Correctly
1. BBD Reduces Waste, Protects National Wealth

Best Before Date (BBD) on durable foods such as pasta, legumes, canned goods and biscuits refers to the product's quality and taste characteristics. BBD is not a safety warning.

Products stored under appropriate conditions, with undamaged packaging and showing no signs of deterioration in appearance, smell or taste can be consumed even after the BBD has passed. Discarding these products without checking them means wasting economic resources.

2. UBD Saves Lives, No Compromise

Use By Date (UBD) is a food safety criterion used on high-risk, highly perishable products such as meat, milk, fish and eggs.

Microorganisms that threaten human health can develop in products past their UBD even if visible deterioration is not apparent. Therefore, products past their UBD must never be consumed.

3. Food Waste Deepens the Climate Crisis

According to United Nations data, if food waste were a single country, it would be the world's third-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions after the United States and China.

Therefore, raising awareness about BBD is viewed not only as economic savings but also as an important step in combating climate change.

4. This Is a Conscious Consumption Movement

In developed countries, returning products approaching or past their BBD but in safe condition to the economy is considered part of environmental, economic and ethical responsibility.

In Turkey as well, it is emphasized that all stakeholders must act together to increase food literacy, promote a culture of conscious consumption and reduce waste.

Open Call to All Stakeholders
To sustainability and environmental organizations:
Let's strengthen the fight against the climate crisis with efforts to reduce food waste in homes.

To consumer organizations:
Let's jointly increase public awareness about correct label reading and food literacy.

To producers and the retail sector:
Let's ensure that products approaching their BBD are returned to the economy through discount applications, food banking and social responsibility projects.

To media organizations:
Let's support the spread of a culture of conscious consumption by making scientific facts visible.

Without compromising on food safety, let's bring science and correct information to our kitchens.

If there is no deterioration in smell, taste and texture; not throwing away food past its BBD protects the future.

Protect Food, Save Tomorrow!

#protectfood #protectfoodsavetomorrow #foodcampaign #foodliteracy

Signatory Organizations
-Food Safety Association
-Food Retailers Association
-Reliable Products Platform
-Sustainability Academy
-Sustainable Food Platform
-Basic Needs Association
-Consumer Inquiry Center
-Consumer Protection Association
-Consumer Complaints Federation
-Turkey Food Industry Employers' Union
-Turkey Food and Beverage Industry Associations Federation