Sponsored by
Would you buy food past the sell-by date?
AN internet trader selling out-of-date food has seen sales rise 10-fold since September as the recession prompts people to log on and look for a bargain.
Dan Cluderay, aged 34, has been swept off his feet by an avalanche of demand for the dirt cheap bargains on his website. Sales are so good the firm has a 12-day backlog in posting orders, despite the 25-strong Worksop-based company operating 24 hours a day.
Approved Food specialises in products past their 'best before' date including tinned and packet groceries, sweets, biscuits, crisps and pop.
The Food Standards Agency says best before dates are more about quality than safety.
Advice on its website says: "When the date runs out it doesn't mean the food will be harmful, but it might begin to lose its flavour and texture."
What do you think? Add your comment below.
Tins of food and items like chocolate, honey, vinegar and Marmite are known to last for years. A comparison between Dan's prices and the recommended retail price explains the website's popularity.
On the day The Star rang he was selling 12 cans of Heinz soup, six months past its best before date, for just 1 against an RRP of 89p for one can.
Trays of 24 bottles of Diet Coke, best before the end of this month, were going for 2, and internet shoppers could pick up 10 Snickers bars for 1, if they didn't mind that they were a month out of date.
Dan lives in Carlton in Lindrick, near Worksop, with wife and fellow director Nichola, also 34, and their baby son Luke.
He said Approved Food was an idea whose time had come.
He added: "It' a phenomenon. We are simply rushed off our feet. Because of the recession people are desperate to save money wherever they can and we're meeting that need."
Dan started out selling food on market stalls to put himself through a computing degree after he was made redundant from his job as an engineer with Sony Ericsson.
Two years ago Dan decided to take his business online and designed a website which became approvedfood.co.uk
READ MORE
Main news index
Your letters
Features
South Yorkshire's environmental news
Kids Zone
More business news
More Rotherham news
More Doncaster news
More Barnsley news
Latest sport
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sheffield
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light snow
Temperature: -1 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Light snow
Temperature: -2 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South east
