Which supermarkets are removing best before dates, what does this mean for your shopping?

Sainsbury is the latest supermarket giant to announce a departure from putting best before dates on some 230 products. The retailer intends to remove expiry dates on over 100 perishables including tomatoes and pears. Competitors –Tesco, Waitrose, Morrisons and Asda – introduced similar initiative this year.

Why?

A recent report published in the Grocer showed that supermarkets across the UK throw away 100,000 tonnes of edible food every year; food that is estimated to feed more than 30 million people annually.

Many retailers are taking their responsibility to reducing food waste more seriously and one of the ways to achieve that is by removing best before dates from certain products. Kate Stein, Director of Technical at Sainsbury’s said:

We also know that by avoiding unnecessary waste, we can help our customers save money by making their food shop last longer. The changes that we’re announcing today will do just that, giving customers more autonomy to make their own decisions on whether their food is good to eat, and preventing them from disposing of food too early.

Use by dates

As part of plans to reduce food waste, Sainbury’s said it will be replacing ‘best before’ dates on its store brand yoghurts and other 46 product lines with ‘use by’ dates by the end of the year, according to News Shopper.

It is hoped that this initiative will give customers the power to decide whether their food is still good to eat. According to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), ‘use by’ dates are linked to food safety, whereas ‘best before’ dates relate to food quality. Stein added:

With changes like these, together, we can all play our part in tackling the climate crisis and protecting the planet for generations to come.

Read more:

⋙ Supermarkets are removing ‘best before dates’ from some items. Here’s why

⋙ Major supermarkets recall various products over health concerns

⋙ ‘Do not eat’: Major UK supermarkets urgently recall these foods due to possible health risks