Lord Palmer

A peer in the House of Lords called sell-by-dates “too cautious” – and backed his claim after eating a 20-year-old biscuit.

He didn’t say what sort of biscuit he’d eaten – but it was “nice”.

Independent crossbencher Lord Palmer was talking about food waste when he revealed the tasting.

He said: “I am sure one of the main problems is that the sell-by dates on products are far too cautious.

“I remember once eating a biscuit that was 20 years old.

“It was perfectly edible.”

Lord Palmer’s family once owned Huntley & Palmers – the world’s biggest manufacturer of biscuits.

Environment minister Lord Goldsmith of Richmond said:

“I do not think that I have eaten a biscuit quite that old, but I would not be afraid of doing so.”

The Conservative frontbencher said reducing food waste would “mitigate climate change, protect biodiversity, improve other environmental outcomes and use our resources more efficiently”.

He added: “The UK is fully committed to the UN sustainable development goal target, which… is to halve global food waste at consumer and retail levels by 2030.

“Much of the focus of the work that the Government are doing is on trying to get the food sector, at all levels, to reduce the amount of food waste generated.

“Clearly, that involves supermarkets packaging, advertising and presenting their products in a way that helps consumers to make the right choices, with a view to reducing their environmental footprint and food waste.”