Britons throw away 720m eggs a year over best-before date fears

Researchers say eggs are often safe to eat long after packaging date passes

Britons are throwing away 720m eggs every year - three times more than in 2008and at a cost of 139m - according to research.

The scale of waste has been blamed on overcautious consumers relying on best-before dates to decide if eggs are fresh enough to eat, and the growing popularity of vegetarian and "flexitarian" diets has boosted overall sales.