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Devon food bank sees 26-year-old coffee packet handed in

Sue Durant Out-of-date food given to food bank. Pic: Sue DurantSue Durant
The food bank said it had no waste collection service to dispose of out-of-date items

People who donate to food banks are being asked to check products' sell-by dates after a packet of filter coffee more than 26 years old was handed in.

Staff at the Kingsbridge Food Bank, in Devon, highlighted a number of out-of-date items recently handed in.

They included a jar of couscous which expired in 2015, a Christmas pudding which went off in 2020, and the coffee which was best before July 1995.

Project boss Gerrie Messer said such items were "tricky" to dispose of.

Sue Durant Out-of-date coffee given to food bank. Pic: Sue DurantSue Durant
The coffee was among a number of out-of-date items donated last weekend

Staff said they were "extremely grateful" for donations, but added that those who gave should "please ... check the dates".

The featured items were left last weekend, the project said.

Ms Messer said: "If they're not filtered out by the supermarket, who actually have stations in their store, it is really tricky for us to dispose of it as we don't have a proper waste collection we can put it into.

"My lovely volunteers usually end up taking them home with them.

"In date and unopened, that is all we really ask for."

She said it was not the only time they had been given out-of-date items.

"Last year we had a tinned fruit cake handed in which looked old.

"It had no date on it, but we searched for the company that made the whiskey for it and found it went out of business in 1996."

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