The food safety watchdog has warned people against eating food past its use-by date or switching off the fridge and freezer after finding significant numbers are doing both to save money.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said some consumers were taking risks with food safety because of money pressures and rising energy costs. A survey by the FSA found that 40% of consumers are worried about being able to afford food in the next month.
Some 30% said they had skipped a meal or cut down the size of their meals over the past month because they did not have enough money to buy food. The poll suggests that a third of people (32%) ate food past its use-by date – after which time the product can be unsafe to consume – at least once in the past month because they could not afford to buy more food.
