Nestlé and Danone are among more than 30 signatories to a bid in France to cut food waste through a focus on date labelling.

Cheese giant Bel and Savencia Fromage & Dairy, as well as retailers including Carrefour and E. Leclerc, have signed up to an initiative devised by Too Good To Go, a Denmark-based start-up centred around an app that connects customers to restaurants and stores that have unsold, surplus food.

In France, Too Good To Go has launched a “pact” focusing on consumption dates to increase shoppers’ understanding of ‘best before’ and ‘use by’ labels on-pack.

Under the pact, the signatories will also look to “clarify” the difference between the ‘use-by’ date (known in France as the date limite de consummation) and ‘best before’ (date de durabilite minimale) by, for example, the use of diagrams.

Companies also plan to “optimise” the monitoring of stock “to avoid food waste”, the start-up said, through devising a geographic map of entities focusing on reducing food waste.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

“The consumption dates pact offers stakeholders a concrete commitment to more responsible practices,” Lucie Basch, the president of Too Good To Go, said.

Nestlé said it would use its Mousline brand of instant mashed potato to help inform French consumers about the difference between the two date labels.

“As a major player in the food industry, it is our responsibility to avoid waste in the production of our products. But it does not stop at the doors of our factories, it is important to give our consumers all the keys to adopt the right actions,” Christophe Cornu, the president of Nestlé’s French arm, said.