The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) says a recent survey has found that only half of people correctly understand the meaning of shelf-life dates on food labels.

The authority published the results of its nationwide survey on Friday, that looked into the public's understanding and attitude to ‘Best Before Dates’ and ‘Use by Dates’ on food labels.

The survey found that while over nine out of ten people (96%) claim to understand both terms, when probed, only five out of ten did.

One of the most concerning findings of the survey is that almost five out of ten people said they had no problem eating food that has passed its use by date while over a third said that as long as food looks and smells what they deem to be okay they ignore use by dates.

The FSAI states that this is a worrying statistic as consumers are potentially putting their health at risk.

Speaking at the seminar, Dr Wayne Anderson, Director Food Science and Standards said: ‘It is somewhat alarming that five out of ten people misunderstand the meaning of use by and best before and this may be the reason why almost half of people think it’s OK to eat foods after the use-by date has expired.

"We would caution people to be careful in this regard as food products contaminated with harmful bacteria may look okay and taste and smell no different when they have gone beyond their use-by date”.

Mr Pat Daly, Head of Industry Development in Teagasc addressing delegates highlighted that the shelf-life of food, in particular the accurate setting of use by dates is vitally important.

Mr Daly said the Irish food industry was important to our economic recovery must be built on a reputation for safe foods that are of the highest quality.

"Today’s seminar in Teagasc is an important training opportunity for food businesses where they can access crucial information from both Irish and international experts in the field. We are committed to supporting the development of the Irish food industry through partnership with other State bodies like the FSAI.”

(DW)