I recently came across an article which talked about the sell by date of packaged fresh fruit and vegetables and how so many top supermarkets throw away vast amounts on a regular basis. I was aware that it happened, just not in the quantities as described. I also know that vegetables don't always grow into the perfect aesthetically pleasing shape that we consumers demand, resulting in some of the more substandard looking vegetables being discarded before they even reach the supermarket shelves.

A friend of mine mentioned that she used to work in a highly reputable supermarket that sold pre-packaged fruits and vegetables. When the sell by date was up on this produce, the retailer, rather than disposing of the perfectly good fruit and vegetables that were still edible and fresh, simply took away the cellophane wrapper and put them amongst the loose pick your own selection.

Why did the products have to be packaged in unnecessary packaging in the first place? Because us the consumer expect it. It's as if people are afraid to actually pick their own produce from the selection on offer; instead they aim for the pre-packaged selection thinking that they are of a higher standard because of their fancy packaging. The only thing fancy about it that I can see is the price!

I personally prefer to see the fruit and vegetables out of the packaging giving me the choice of which pieces I select; although as an avid grow your own person, I much prefer my home grown veg. I never look at the sell by date on fruit and vegetables. I go by the appearance and feel of the item.

Where are the sell by dates on the apples in the back gardens? I've yet to see a date on the farmers markets products too, so why do the big retailers insist on adding these products into polythene bags, charging us extortionate prices for the privilege and then slapping a sell by date on them to force us to buy more? Yet when the sell by date is up and the retailer cannot sell the products, these perfectly edible products are disposed of into bins wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds.

I personally would offer my time to ensure that these 'waste' products are delivered to those who could benefit such as the local food banks, who are crying out for food, mission halls who provide for the elderly and infirm and those on really low incomes who can barely afford to feed their families.

So the next time you are in a supermarket and you reach for the pre-packaged fruit and vegetables, think twice and reach for the loose pick your own. Or better still, take a leaf out of my book and grow your own!