Crunch gives food bargains website some extra bite

A WEBSITE selling food that has gone past its best-before date is enjoying a new lease of life as people look for cheaper alternatives to supermarket shopping.

Approved Food, which has been quietly trading in groceries, biscuits and tinned food that is past its prime for the past eight years, has seen its turnover increase 10-fold in the past three months.

Customers looking to save the pennies on the grocery bill as the economic downturn hits family budgets have flocked to the site, which has been promoted in online money-saving forums.

Demand has risen so much that company founder Dan Cluderay, a computer programmer based in Sheffield, now has to shut the site down for a few days every month to work through the backlog of orders coming from all over the UK.

The bargains available include a 750g jar of Nutella, best before January 4, which costs 1 rather than 2.55 in Tesco, and a 400g jar of Marmite Big Squeeze, which is best before February, selling for 2 although a jar half the size costs 2.47 in Tesco.

Dozens of items in the range cost less than 1, including six cans of Britvic, five bars of Cadbury's chocolate or four cans of Campbell's soup.

Customers can order up to 28kg of products, which are delivered to their door anywhere in the country at a cost of 5.25.

Cluderay said: "We have seen a significant rise in interest, probably due to the credit crunch and our low prices."

The retail market has been hit hard by the economic downturn over the past few months, with shoppers either avoiding the high street altogether or going to cheaper stores.

An increasing number of consumers have turned to Approved Foods, believed to be the only online operation of its kind, as they choose low prices over quality.

The website specifies that although its products have passed their best-before date, they are never beyond the use-by date.

A spokesman for the Food Standards Agency said best-before food would not be dangerous to eat. He said: "Best-before is an indication of quality rather than safety. Eating food past the best-before date does not necessarily put someone at risk from food poisoning."

Cluderay buys his stock at knocked-down prices from wholesalers, suppliers and supermarkets who are trying to get rid of food reaching the end of its shelf life.

Satisfied customers have praised the company's work on websites such as Moneysavingexpert.com.