Record numbers of families are buying out-of-date food to slash shopping bills.

They are snapping up everyday items from tinned fruit to pasta which can cost far less than the supermarket price.

One website – approvedfoods.co.uk – has seen a 500 per cent jump in sales as ­recession-hit Britons struggle to make ends meet. The food, near or past the best-before date, comes from suppliers and stores.

Typical deals include Maxwell House coffee for 99p, compared with £2.99 in the supermarket. Del Monte Fruit Cocktail is 50p – half the usual price.

Boss Dan Cluderay said: “We started ­selling online two years ago but it really took off when the credit crunch kicked in.”

Fresh food cannot be sold after the use-by date but the Food Standards Agency says goods past the best-before date are safe.

mirror.co.uk