Co-op is removing use-by dates from all of its own-label yoghurts in a bid to reduce food waste.
Instead, the yoghurts will carry a best-before date, with shoppers encouraged to “use their judgment” to gauge if they are edible.
The convenience retailer highlighted that around 42,000 tonnes of yoghurt – £100m worth – of edible yoghurt is thrown out by UK homes each year due to guidance printed on pack.
Nick Cornwell, Head of Food Technical, Co-op, said: “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. The acidity of yoghurt acts as a natural defence and we’d encourage shoppers to use their judgement on the quality of their yoghurt if it is past the best before date.”
Use-by dates on products where a best-before one might do have been blamed for contributing to food waste. However, things are starting to change, with Morrisons recently switching to best-before dates on its milk, encouraging customers to use the “sniff test” to judge if it is still usable.
Meanwhile, a ‘look, smell, taste, don’t waste’ campaign, run by food waste app Too Good to Go, has so far enlisted 40 brands, including Nestlé, Danone and Onken. The companies involved have switched from use-by to best-before dates on products, including milk, yoghurt and cheese.
Commenting on the Co-op’s move, Catherine David, Wrap’s director of collaboration and change, said: “We know that the date label on yoghurt is a fundamental reason that it is wasted at home. Applying a best-before date helps give people the confidence to use their judgment to eat beyond a best-before date and use more of the yoghurt they buy – protecting the planet and their pockets.
“We’d encourage all food businesses to follow WRAP/FSA/Defra best practice and identify where products, especially dairy items, like yoghurt, can have a best before date applied and to make that change wherever possible.”
