DIRECT ACTION ON FOOD WASTE?

I have frequently joined demonstrations which aim to publicise injustice of many kinds, but I have never (yet) taken part in "direct action", where a demonstration includes breaking the law. However I was tempted recently and, if the opportunity occurs again, I hope that I will act in line with my conscience, and not with the law.

Some foods have "use by" dates, after which items cannot be sold. I had some red peppers (without a blemish on them) removed from my shopping basket at a local supermarket till and was told that it was company policy that they must be thrown away. I asked where the skip was, so that I could rescue them. The cashier told me that their skips were enclosed to prevent people from collecting discarded items.

These red peppers, along with other foods legally considered to be unfit for human consumption, went to landfill to add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere instead of providing energy, and pleasure, to our household in a casserole. If this happens again I will snatch the item back and wait to be arrested for theft, and make a quick phone call to the Birmingham Mail.

Can someone explain to me the health and safety justification for "use by" dates? Apart from the waste caused by the ban on selling goods past this date, "use by" dates appear to me to make the company that packages and stamps goods a bit vulnerable. "Sell by" dates give the responsibility for the item to the purchaser after the point of sale, but "use by" dates extend the responsibility of the seller, which is why their policy destroys a huge weight of good food.

There may be some justification in suggesting "use by" dates for animal products, but unless these items are clearly labelled to state that the item must be stored in a cool place within a stated time after purchase, the "use by" date cannot be reliable.

There is good news at the end of this story: I picked up a loaf in a shop in Moseley, Indigo Wholefoods this week. It had been reduced to half price but seemed OK to me. The "use by" date was checked and had passed so, again, I was told that it could not be sold. This time I was told that I was welcome to take it. I did.