Asda removes best before dates from many fresh foods to help reduce waste
Asda to remove best before dates from nearly 250 fresh fruits and vegetables as it joins a movement among supermarkets to help customers cut waste and save money .
The supermarket will leave notes on produce such as citrus fruits, potatoes, cauliflower and carrots in all its UK stores from September 1 .
This follows announcements from Marks & Spencer, which removed these warnings from 300 fruit and vegetable ranges in July, and Waitrose, which announced earlier this month it was removing them from 500 fresh food items.
The dates would be replaced with a new code that would be used by store staff to ensure quality and freshness , said Asda.
The retailer is also providing online and on-pack guidance to help r customers to store and prepare fresh food as well as advice on how to reduce waste.
Tesco was one of the first major UK supermarket markets to tackling the problem in 2018 when it removed potentially confusing expiration dates from more than 100 items, while Co-op removed them from its own brand of yogurt in April.
In January, Morrisons announced plans to remove use-by dates on milk and encourage consumers to use a "sniff test" instead to determine if it is okay to drink it .
The charity Waste and Resources Action Program (Wrap) has condemned best before dates for fruits and vegetables as unnecessary, arguing that they contribute to the climate crisis by encouraging the destruction of good foods. Overall figures suggest the average family throws away £60 worth of food and drink each month.
Asda Technical Manager Andy Cockshaw said: In the customers' homes is a priority and we are always looking for different ways to achieve this.
"We know that for customers this has become more important than ever in the current climate , as many families are grappling with the cost of living crisis and looking to save money wherever they can.”
Catherine David, Director of Collaboration and change at Wrap, said: "We are delighted with this development by Asda to help tackle food waste in our homes.
"Our research has shown é that date labels on fruits and vegetables are unnecessary; getting rid of them can prevent the equivalent of 7 million baskets from our household trash cans.
"The influence of the absence of a date label or the right date label on what we use and what we throw away is huge.
"More supermarkets need to get ahead of food waste by removing date labels from fresh produce, allowing people to use their own judgement."< /p>
Asda to remove best before dates from nearly 250 fresh fruits and vegetables as it joins a movement among supermarkets to help customers cut waste and save money .
The supermarket will leave notes on produce such as citrus fruits, potatoes, cauliflower and carrots in all its UK stores from September 1 .
This follows announcements from Marks & Spencer, which removed these warnings from 300 fruit and vegetable ranges in July, and Waitrose, which announced earlier this month it was removing them from 500 fresh food items.
The dates would be replaced with a new code that would be used by store staff to ensure quality and freshness , said Asda.
The retailer is also providing online and on-pack guidance to help r customers to store and prepare fresh food as well as advice on how to reduce waste.
Tesco was one of the first major UK supermarket markets to tackling the problem in 2018 when it removed potentially confusing expiration dates from more than 100 items, while Co-op removed them from its own brand of yogurt in April.
In January, Morrisons announced plans to remove use-by dates on milk and encourage consumers to use a "sniff test" instead to determine if it is okay to drink it .
The charity Waste and Resources Action Program (Wrap) has condemned best before dates for fruits and vegetables as unnecessary, arguing that they contribute to the climate crisis by encouraging the destruction of good foods. Overall figures suggest the average family throws away £60 worth of food and drink each month.
Asda Technical Manager Andy Cockshaw said: In the customers' homes is a priority and we are always looking for different ways to achieve this.
"We know that for customers this has become more important than ever in the current climate , as many families are grappling with the cost of living crisis and looking to save money wherever they can.”
Catherine David, Director of Collaboration and change at Wrap, said: "We are delighted with this development by Asda to help tackle food waste in our homes.
"Our research has shown é that date labels on fruits and vegetables are unnecessary; getting rid of them can prevent the equivalent of 7 million baskets from our household trash cans.
"The influence of the absence of a date label or the right date label on what we use and what we throw away is huge.
"More supermarkets need to get ahead of food waste by removing date labels from fresh produce, allowing people to use their own judgement."< /p>
What's Your Reaction?
