Editorial: Mum's the word on food waste

Leftovers. Give them to me - can't beat yesterday's roast. The crusts on a loaf of bread left in an otherwise empty packet. Bang them in the toaster, slap on some Vegemite. Beauty!
But if a product has passed its "Best Before" date? I won't go near it.
Silly me, it appears.
However, I am not alone, given that Kiwis are needlessly dumping uneaten food estimated to be worth $750 million a year by slavishly following that "BB", according to an Australian economist.
Yes, needlessly dumping!
It appears that I have misunderstood the true meaning of "Best Before", and just maybe am the victim of an elaborate marketing, shall we say "method", perpetrated by food purveyors, if you'll excuse my cynicism.
My mother and my aunty have long laughed about "Best Before" and what they saw as the younger generation's obsession with it. They could tell when food was off or not, they told me one day.
The "Best Before" tag wasn't applied to food when they were making decisions in the best interests of their growing families.
But I argued the toss, sure that milk for example, was dangerous from the date specified forward. Now I know I was wrong. "Best Before" simply means a product's quality will reduce from that date. There is no immediate health risk and it is not illegal to sell the product. The milk in Mum's generously offered cup of tea was not an invitation to the big white telephone.
In my defence, a quick scan of the work fridge's milk containers didn't show me any explanation of what "BB" meant. And I have never asked.
It's also a problem in Australia, Britain and, I suspect, other countries.
In Britain, instead of marking food as "Best Before" it is proposed that retail warning labels will be introduced, varying depending on the food type. Seafood, or eggs would carry detailed warnings of food poisoning hazards, while a relatively harmless product such as bread would have simpler warnings.
"Best Before" is not to be confused with "Use By" date, which when reached is the end of the product's life. Of course, I thought it was just another way of saying the same thing.
New Zealand authorities say label changes are not in the pipeline. They should be, given the wasted money - and we all know who benefits from that. Although my Mum and Aunty won't need to read them.