Sainsbury’s is switching use-by dates for best-before dates across its own-brand milk range, in a bid to help shoppers reduce their household food waste.
The move will impact 44 products, including all fresh and organic milk sold across England, Scotland and Wales.
The change will also affect more than 730m pints of milk sold by the supermarket every year.
New labelling will start in the new year, while the change is due to be completed by the end of February 2024.
The move makes Sainsbury’s the biggest UK retailer to make the change.
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The news follows research from waste and resources charity WRAP which found milk is the third most wasted UK food, with over 490 million pints chucked out every year.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) explains use-by dates relate to food safety, while best-before dates are linked to food quality.
Sainsbury’s will be encouraging shoppers to follow the FSA’s guidance of using sensory cues to determine if milk with a best before date label has gone off.
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2 Comments. Leave new
I have worked for three major supermarkets, and bad stock management can contribute to massive amounts of waste. I had to pour out cages of milk of 6 pint bottles many times as the price of 4 pint was better per quantity. 48 bottles per cage often about two to three cages a week 288 pints down the drain. That is just one item. Food waste starts at the retailer.
Dates on bottles of milk rarely mean much anyway, always have to do the sniff test regardless.