Food Dating

On the day the UK Government tells Britons to stop wasting food, we thought you might like to know about a very practical solution for the home.

Count On It™ is a small circular date label which you stick on your food packaging (or containers) when you put them in your fridge or freezer.

We throw away over 4 million tonnes of food a year (about £420 per family)so anything which might help reduce this has got to help the environment and our pockets.

Count On It™ labels use a ‘scratch-off’ system which means you don’t need to hunt for a pen. Just scratch off the month, then the date (which show up in florescent pink), pop them onto your food and you will always know when you stored the item. They come in a small, recyclable, box which you can keep in your fridge and cost £1.99 (plus P&P) for 25 labels. If they help you not throw away a couple of food items, because you can't remember how old they are, these little labels will pay for themselves quickly.

Their advantages include:

  • - takes the guesswork out of storing food safely
  • - stops consumers from throwing edible food away unnecessarily
  • - encourages the use of leftovers
  • - ensures food is eaten at its prime
  • - prompts consumers to eat food in date order
  • - eliminates unnecessary re-purchasing
  • - reduces household waste
  • - helps reduce our carbon footprint


We have a couple of boxes here at the EcoList, which we are testing right now and will let you know what we think shortly. In the meantime, have a look for yourself at
www.count-on-it.co.uk