Cheeses are often best after their ‘best before’ date | Letters

I write as a retired food technologist who spent many years working in the food industry. Joanna Blythman's article (Food labels have passed their sell-by date, 5 November) is the first sensible article on this subject that I have ever seen in the media.

The legislation which at first insisted that food had a "sell by" date started as a very laudable way of ensuring that retailers could not pass off old food as fresh. Enforcement agents (environmental health officers) could easily initiate prosecutions against cheats. However, more detailed good intentions soon led to "mission creep", and with the introduction of "use by" and "best before" dates turned also into guidance to food consumers as to how to control the contents of their larders.