Yoghurt ‘use by’ dates are binned to reduce food waste

TOO often yoghurt is left neglected at the back of the fridge, only to be unearthed when it is too late and bound for the bin. Now Asda wants to give cartons another chance to be devoured.

Britain’s third biggest supermarket is scrapping “use by” dates on its ownbrand products in an effort to extend the shelf life of its dairy products and reduce the amount of edible food thrown away each year.

Asda is replacing the health guidance on its 28 own-brand yoghurts with “best before” labels instead.

The supermarket has made the change on the back of research showing that half of all wasted yoghurt in UK households is unopened packs that have ended up in the bin.

A separate report found 70 per cent was thrown out because the product was “not being used in time”, with the date label cited as the reason.

Food that has passed its “use by” date must never be eaten as it can make you ill, according to the Food Standards Agency. However, “best before” dates are simply an indicator of quality, and food that has passed this threshold will simply not taste as fresh. Advice on eating food past its “best before” date includes the “sniff test”, often employed on pints of milk.

Asda said its technical managers, microbiologists and product managers have conducted robust food safety and quality tests to make sure its yoghurts are safe to change to “best before” labelling.

The retailer sells around 455,000 packs each week.

The change follows similar moves by other retailers including Morrisons, which has scrapped “use by” dates on 90 per cent of its own-brand milk. Marks & Spencer has removed “best before” dates from the labels of more than 300 fruit and vegetable products.

Paul Gillow, a vice-president at Asda, said: “We are always looking at ways we can help customers reduce food waste in the home.”