Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, which means that Buzzy Kitchen earns commission from purchases made – at absolutely no extra cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting Buzzy Kitchen!
I recently went through my mother’s kitchen cupboards and found no fewer than 15 expired items, ranging from pasta and pasta sauces to steamed puddings and tins of custard. She told me to throw it all out. I had another idea: donation to food banks and charities. But can you donate out of date food UK?
I took a closer look, and this is what I found out…
Can You Donate Out of Date Food UK?
Yes, you can donate some out-of-date food, but not all.
You CAN donate food that is past the best before date.
You CANNOT donate food that is past the use-by date.
The official word on redistributing food and donating to food banks, according to the Foods Standard Agency, is this:
“Food with a best before date can be legally sold, redistributed, and consumed after this date, if judged to be of sufficient quality to be donated and made available to be eaten.”
Food Standards Agency
However, I’ve looked through the dos and don’ts of a lot of different food bank websites and almost all of them will not accept out of date items.
Best Before vs Use-By: What’s the Difference?
The difference between best before and use-by dates on packaging is, one has been designed for safety and the other has been designed for quality.
Use-by dates are to ensure safety and are usually added to fresh produce, such as dairy products. If you consume the product after the use-by date, it may not be safe.
“Food cannot be sold, redistributed, or consumed after the use-by date. Food should not be donated to food banks after the use-by date.”
Food Standards Agency
Best before dates, on the other hand, are to ensure product quality. These dates are added to packaged products, such as pasta, rice, etc. The food will be at peak quality until the best before date. After that, it will likely still be safe to eat for some time, but it may not be at peak quality.
Check With Your Local Food Bank/Charity
Local food banks and charities will often put out calls for certain items that are in high demand along with lists of items they definitely do not want. It is recommended to check with the organization or charity you are donating to, to see what they do and don’t accept.
Some food banks will not accept out of date food of any kind, regardless of government guidelines.
Certain places may not have refrigeration or freezing resources, so they won’t be able to accept food that needs to be chilled or frozen.
The Trussell Trust asks you to put your password or location in, so they can direct you to local food banks, and what they do/don’t want you to donate. The closest food bank donation point to me requested things like: UHT or long-life milk, tinned tomatoes, instant mash, ready-made custard, ketchup and other condiments, tinned meats (such as corned beef or Spam), instant coffee, etc.
It also clearly states, it will only accept items with “long best before dates” and NOT out-of-date food.
Final Words
I wouldn’t personally donate something that I wouldn’t eat or drink myself, so I suggest going with those guidelines.
Foods with best before dates (rather than use-by dates) are safe to consume for a relatively long period of time once the date has passed. You can still eat things like out-of-date pasta and tinned goods. If you can’t donate something, maybe just cook and eat it?
