Tesco announces use-by dates to be scrapped from popular product
Tesco announces use-by dates to be scrapped from popular product
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Tesco has announced use-by-dates on its own-branded yoghurts will be scrapped within weeks in an attempt to cut down on food waste.
The 104-year-old supermarket chain claimed replacing use-by-dates with best-before-dates is safe following extensive testing.
It has been suggested many shoppers are confused by the difference between the two dates and consequently throw food away unnecessarily.
Tesco’s lead dairy technical manager Amy Walker said: “We know some shoppers may be unclear about the difference between ‘Use By’ and ‘Best Before’ dates on food and this can lead to perfectly edible items being thrown away unnecessarily.
It has been suggested many shoppers are confused by the difference between the two dates and consequently throw food away unnecessarily.
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“We have made the decision to remove ‘Use By’ dates on yoghurts where it is safe to do so, after extensive testing which reveals that the acidity of the product acts as a natural preservative.”
She added: “However, consumers should always use their judgement to determine if the quality is acceptable.”
Tesco’s 500g Greek Style Yogurt, Creamfields 500g Style Yogurt, Creamfields 500g Berry Medley Low Fat Yogurt and Finest 150g Lemon Curd Yogurt will all be impacted by the change.
The move will likely start over the next few weeks and Tesco expects all 30 affected product lines will feature best-before-dates on packaging by the end of June.
Tesco unveiled its major move after new statistics revealed UK shoppers were wasting thousands of tonnes of yoghurt every year.
Data released by waste prevention group WRAP found 54,000 tonnes of yoghurt is wasted a year and half of the waste is unopened.
The Foods Standards Agency warns against eating, cooking or freezing either food or drink once a use-by-date expires.
But before-before-dates focus on the quality of the product rather than the safety.
Tesco unveiled its major move after new statistics revealed UK shoppers were wasting thousands of tonnes of yoghurt every year.
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Tesco announced a separate initiative in 2018 which removed best-before-dates from more than 170 fruit and vegetable lines.
Apples, potatoes, tomatoes, lemons and onions were all impacted by the change.
However, the Co-op removed use-by-dates on its own-branded yoghurts and replaced them with best-before-dates in May 2022.
Asda unveiled a similar scheme which removed use-by-dates on more than half of its own-branded yoghurts in January.
Nick Cornwell from the Co-op said at the time: “Yoghurt can be safe to eat if stored unopened in a fridge after the date mark shown, so we have made the move to best-before-dates to help reduce food waste.”
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