To mark the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste on 29 September, the Wasteless Program in Hungary joined forces with three major retail chains active in online grocery delivery: ALDI, Auchan and Tesco.
During the campaign week starting on 28 September 2026, customers who placed online orders with the participating retailers received an “Expired… Can I Still Eat It?” fridge magnet, while stocks lasted. The magnet provided practical guidance developed by the Wasteless Program to help households make informed decisions about food that had passed its date marking.
The initiative aimed to make reliable information on date labelling more accessible to consumers and contribute to reducing avoidable household food waste. The cooperation with the three retail chains enabled the guidance to reach 30,000 Hungarian households through online grocery deliveries.
According to the Wasteless Program’s latest household food waste survey, Hungarian households generate approximately 61 kg of food waste per person per year, around 34% of which is avoidable. Appropriate management of date markings alone could help prevent approximately 9.5 kg of food waste per person annually.
The campaign focused on the distinction between the two main types of date marking. A “use-by” date indicates a food safety deadline, while a “best-before” date primarily refers to quality. Foods past their best-before date may still be suitable for consumption if they have been stored appropriately and their packaging remains intact.
The “Expired… Can I Still Eat It?” guide provides practical information on the safe use of foods past their best-before date, helping consumers assess products before deciding to discard them.
The fridge magnet design is also available in Hungarian at this link.