Cash strapped shoppers turn to out of date goods

According to a recent report many shoppers who are struggling to make ends meet financially are trying to save money by going to websites that offer out of date food on the cheap. Many people are now looking to bag a bargain by buying food that has passed its official sell by date and is available for a fraction of the normal price.

In fact, reports have suggested that websites offering these out of date bargains are finding it hard to keep up with demand because they have soared in popularity.

The websites are said to sell short dated and out of date foods to shoppers that are looking to save money on the cost of their groceries. The sites are selling a wide variety of groceries that can be purchased for a fraction of the regular price because of their date, including tins and jars of coffee amongst other things.

The good things about the various sites that are now selling these bargains is that whilst the groceries are past their official sell by dates they are not past their use by dates, so they are still safe to consume.

One website dealing with such orders has revealed that every month it is having to close down its website for two days so that it can deal with backorders because of the high level of demand for groceries from the site.

In some cases, despite the delivery charge applied by the companies, consumers that do their shopping through these sites can save up to 75 percent on the cost compared to buying with a longer date from the supermarket.

A spokesperson from the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, which is run by the government, stated: ‘The average family could save just over £50 a month just by making the most of the food they buy. If you’re buying dry cereal or products, the key to making the most of a bargain is to store food well.’

Tags: Shelf life, official, date food, Grocery store, out of date food, food