Buy HUGELY DISCOUNTED, perfectly good food beyond its 'best before' date
"We deal with non-perishable food that is good for many, many years after the 'best before' date," says Dave Bester of Foodeez.
Picture: © photoman/123rf.com
It’s crazy, but mountains of perfectly good food are being dumped in landfills each day because the 'best before' date has passed.
About a third of all the food South Africa produces ends up as waste, despite a quarter of South African households being at constant risk of hunger.
Foodeez buys dated (as well as short-dated) and damaged non-perishable food from suppliers who would otherwise have thrown it away.
It then sells the food – usually tins, bottles and other nonperishables – straight to the public.
The most well-loved brands often go for half the price you’d pay in the supermarket.
Foodeez doesn’t allow bulk buying.
There is a Foodeez store in Diep River, Retreat, Fish Hoek, Parow, Parklands, Milnerton, Brackenfell and Strand.
Refilwe Moloto interviewed (on 19 May 2020) Dave Bester of Foodeez.
They spoke about the safety of eating food beyond the 'best before' date and whether such items can be donated to feed hungry people.
"We have a lot of CapeTalk listeners who buy at our shops…"
- Dave Bester, Foodeez
"We shouldn’t be talking about expired food – that’s not correct. We deal with non-perishable food products with a ‘best before’ date on it… ‘best before’ doesn’t mean ‘bad after’… they’re good for many, many years after that date… Try something that’s a pre- and post-date – you won’t tell the difference!"
- Dave Bester, Foodeez
"Regular supermarkets don’t sell them after the ‘best before’ date. Instead of getting dumped at landfill sites, we buy it, then sell it directly to consumers at a very discounted rate… We see a lot of first-time customers… We’re also seeing people who are supporting food initiatives… 70% of our shoppers are retired people battling to make ends meet… It’s already pretty mainstream…"
- Dave Bester, Foodeez
"It’s against the law to donate food that is past the ‘best before’ date… It’s not a grey area, it’s pretty clear…"
- Dave Bester, Foodeez
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.