Co-op to start selling food that’s a month past its ‘ best before’ date

THE Co-op has become the first supermarket to sell food past its ‘Best Before’ date in a bid to reduce waste.

From today Co-op stores in the east of England will sell the products for just 10p in 125 outlets. Most items that have Best Before dates will be included, such as tinned goods, packets and dried food.

They will remain on sale for one month beyond their Best Before date.

The East of England Co-op says the initiative could prevent at least two metric tonnes of food from going to waste every year, from those stores alone.

‘Use By’ dated food, such as fresh meat and fish will not be included because they pose a health risk if consumed past their expiry dates.

The new scheme follows a successful three-month trial in 14 of the Co-op’s stores and is launched under a campaign called The Co-op Guide to Dating.

One of its slogans is: ‘Don’t be a binner, have it for dinner.’

Currently, supermarkets clear these products from their shelves and dump or burn them. If other retailers follow suit, food waste could be reduced massively and struggling shoppers will benefit.

Joint chief executive at the East of England Co-op, Roger Grosvenor, said: ‘We are committed to reducing waste in our business. During our trial we found our 10p items went within hours of being reduced, sometimes even quicker.

‘The vast majority of our customers understand they are fine to eat and appreciate the opportunity to make a significant saving on some of their favourite products.

‘This is not a money-making exercise, but a sensible move to reduce food waste and keep edible food in the food chain.

‘By selling perfectly edible food we can save 50,000 plus items every year which would otherwise go to waste.’

The Food Standards Agency advises that products past their Best Before dates are safe to eat but may not be perfect quality. East of England Co-op has also instigated a new Reduced to Clear policy, offering discounts early in the day on products nearing their Use By dates to ensure they are sold and eaten rather than thrown away.

The 125 stores in the division have also introduced customer recycling points and recycling facilities for stores to help manage packaging waste.

The 10p discounted food cannot be donated to charities such as food banks because they do not accept food after its Best Before date.