10 foods you can eat after their sell-by date

While recent reports show that Britain throws away 4.3 million tonnes of perfectly edible food each year, one entrepreneur has managed cash-in on food that has gone past its sell-by date.

Many people tend to throw away food as soon as they see it has drifted past that magical date shown on the pack, but as Dan Cluderay - the owner of Approved Food, which sells cheap foods past their sell-by and best before dates - tells i100.co.uk, there are many instances where that is just not necessary.

Cluderay explains that the most important thing is educating the public about use-by dates (which means it's not safe to eat food after), sell-by dates (which are used by supermarkets for their own internal purposes) and best before dates (which are about optimum quality and not safety).

Cluderay was featured on ITV’s Bargain Fever Britain this week and says he believes his business has struck a chord because of "changing attitudes". "It’s all about value for money now and people see more pride in being savvy."

With that sentiment in mind, here are 10 foods that are generally safe to eat past their sell-by date:

1. Crisps

All that salt helps to preserve them.

2. Chocolate

All that sugar helps to preserve it.

3. Ketchup

Condiments such as ketchup will last up to a year in a cool, dry place or in the fridge.

4. Yoghurt

Can last up to six weeks beyond the date, you can even scrape the mould off the top and eat what's underneath. Yummy.

5. Hard cheese

A lot of cheeses come with mould in or on them anyway. Those best to avoid are soft cheeses such as brie or camembert.

6. Milk

As long as it doesn't smell bad or start to curdle, it should be fine.

7. Eggs

If it floats in a bowl of water it means it's probably had bacteria and gases building up inside it. So if it sinks it's probably good to eat.

8. Bread

If it's a bit stale you can heat it up in the oven. Make sure it doesn't have any mould on it though.

9. Rice

Rice can last for months or even years.

10. Fruit and vegetables

Common sense can be applied here. If there's no mould on it and it's not mushy, then it's probably OK to eat.

To what you can buy past its sell-by date, head to the Approved Food website. For more information on food labelling head to the NHS website.

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