Best-before dates scrapped in favour of common sense

“Best-before” dates are being removed from packs of supermarket fresh fruit and vegetables, leaving consumers to use common sense to decide when they are no longer fit to eat.

Tesco is removing the dates from 70 of its own-brand lines including apples, potatoes, tomatoes, and onions, after campaigners said they confused shoppers and encouraged food waste.

Other supermarkets are expected to follow suit, as figures show the average home throws away £700 of food every year, with fresh fruit and vegetables among the most commonly wasted. Best before labels are put on foods as a quality indication to show that although they are no longer at their best they are still good to eat. They are, however, commonly confused with “use by” date, which show consumers when perishable foods like meats and dairy items are no longer safe to eat.

Mark Little, Tesco’s head of food waste, said: “We know some customers may be confused by the difference between “best before’ and “use by” dates on food and this can lead to perfectly edible items being thrown away before they need to be discarded. We have made this change to fruit and vegetable packaging as they are among the most wasted foods.”