Supermarkets removing dates from fruit and veg

[DynamicSpirit]

The last couple of months there's been a growing trend for supermarkets to remove dates from fresh fruit and veg, on the basis that doing so (supposedly) reduces wastage. I think the reasoning is that if people don't see a best-before date, they won't throw stuff away after that date.

What are people's thoughts on this? Personally I think it's a dreadful idea. It amounts to deliberately withholding information from customers - which is almost never a good idea (at least, for the customers).

I live on my own, which means I don't get through some stuff as quickly as a family would. With that in mind, I usually check the best-before dates so I can judge whether I'm likely to be able to eat something in good time, and adjust what I buy accordingly. But if there's no date, I can't do that.

Tonight, I just discovered an orange and a couple of tomatoes in my kitchen that have clearly gone off and which I will have to throw away. They are all in packages marked 'no date - helps reduce waste'. I am very certain that if those packages had a best-before date marked, I would have known and made sure I ate them in time (Or if the date was too tight, not bought them in the first place). So much for, reducing waste!

 

[busestrains]

The supermarkets are replacing dates with codes which hide the date but you can still work out the expiry date very easily if you know how.

Waitrose put a three digit number at the end of the supplier code to indicate the expiry date. The three digit number indicates the day of the year it expires.

So for some random examples:

• 307VNG005 means that the 5th of January is the expiry date (307VNG is the supplier code) as the 5th of January is the 5th day of the year.

• 307VNG119 means that the 29th of April is the expiry date (307VNG is the supplier code) as the 29th of April is the 119th day of the year.

• 307VNG215 means that the 3rd of August is the expiry date (307VNG is the supplier code) as the 3rd of August is the 215th day of the year.

• 307NNG361 means the the 27th of December is the expiry date (307VNG is the supplier code) as the 27th of December is the 361st day of the year.

So just ignore the first three numbers and the three letters and look at the last three numbers of the supplier code to work out the expiry date of Waitrose vegetables and fruits. You can do a quick Google to work out the date. So for example if it says 108 at the end Google "what is the 108th day of the year" and it will give you your answer.

Tesco use a simpler system where they use a simple two or three character code (separate to the supplier code) with the letters A to L for January to December and then the day of the month.

So for some random examples:

• A3 means the 3rd of January is the expiry date.

• D15 means the 15th of April is the expiry date.

• H7 means the 7th of August is the expiry date.

• L23 means the 23rd of December is the expiry date.

So it is very simple to quickly work it out by looking at the label on Tesco products. Just look at the code starting with one letter followed by one or two numbers. Then that gives you the expiry date.

Personally i do not pay much attention to dates on fruits and vegetables. I regularly eat fruits and vegetables after their expiry date which are perfectly fine. Many will last for a while. But on the other hand i have had fruits and vegetables go bad before their expiry date. So i ignore the dates anyway. With more other things like meat it is very important to have expiry dates but with fruits and vegetables it is less necessary.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Trouble is many types of fruit and veg sit in warehouses in cold storage before reaching the shelves so you’ve really no idea how fresh the product is.

 

[brad465]

I wonder if it's an attempt to do away with reducing prices to clear the stock on or close to its Best Before date, which is common on fruit and veg in packaging.

 

[tomuk]

I wonder if it's an attempt to do away with reducing prices to clear the stock on or close to its Best Before date, which is common on fruit and veg in packaging.

No it is to reduce food waste. People were throwing out nearly 7 million tonnes of food a year getting on for a third of all food sold. The Foods Standards agency found only a third of people understood best before dates and were throwing out potentially edible food.

Use By dates literally mean the date by which you should use it because as the item goes off bacteria can produce toxins that could make you seriously ill. These are staying.

Best Before dates indicate that the food is at its best up to this date, flavour, texture etc. After this point items such as canned \dry goods may not be a as good and are harmless or for fresh items like fruit and veg become obviously bad. Although bad if you ate them the results would be minor. These are being removed.

 

[GusB]

I fully agree with removing dates from fruit and veg. As far as I'm concerned, it's simply common sense and I'm perfectly capable of determining when something really is past it.

If tomatoes are getting a bit over-ripe they'll go a bit squishy and wrinkled, but there's nothing wrong with them and they're perfectly good for pasta sauces or soups. I only chuck them when they start growing furry stuff and then they'll go in the compost bin.

The problem is that some people see the date as an absolute limit, beyond which the food is not fit for consumption. I've seen friends throw out perfectly good stuff because it's a day or two past the use-by date and it's incredibly frustrating to watch. The other issue is that shops aren't allowed to sell anything beyond a use-by date so if it doesn't sell, even after a price reduction, it gets wasted. I believe that's why the "display until" date was introduced - it gives staff the signal to start reducing prices so that the product has a chance to sell before it ultimately has to be thrown away.

If you absolutely must have a date, it should be a "best before".

 

[DelayRepay]

Because I live alone, I generally try to buy loose fruit and veg rather than packaged. I like a varied range of meals so I don't really need more than a couple of each item a week. So I have never really had best before dates on my fruit and veg, and have always got by relying on common sense to determine how fresh something is and low long it is likely to last.

If tomatoes are getting a bit over-ripe they'll go a bit squishy and wrinkled, but there's nothing wrong with them and they're perfectly good for pasta sauces or soups I only chuck them when they start growing furry stuff and then they'll go in the compost bin.

Exactly this - most fruit/veg will last longer than the notional 'use by' date anyway, provided it's stored properly. If I have veg that looks like it's on the turn, I change my meal plans to use it up, or make some soup or whatever. Very little goes in the bin here!

Not fruit or veg, but I am currently eating some toast made with bread which expired on 30 December. It's absolutely fine.

The thing I struggle with is potatoes. No matter how I store them, they seem to start sprouting after a couple of days. I can't use a whole bag of potatoes quickly enough, and the supermarkets seem to have stopped selling most types of potato loose these days. This is the food type I waste most of.

 

[Andy Pacer]

Tonight, I just discovered an orange and a couple of tomatoes in my kitchen that have clearly gone off and which I will have to throw away. They are all in packages marked 'no date - helps reduce waste'. I am very certain that if those packages had a best-before date marked, I would have known and made sure I ate them in time (Or if the date was too tight, not bought them in the first place). So much for, reducing waste!

I suppose the point there is you can see that they've gone off so (hopefully!) wouldn't eat them in error. But yes if they're packaged when you buy them you have the advantage of choosing a pack with the longest date.
Then again in the days of greengrocers (or even if buying from a market stall) things would be unpacked so you wouldn't know without inspecting it (if at all) how old they were.
I think Aldi stopped dating fruit and veg a few years ago which did surprise me at the time.

 

[GusB]

The thing I struggle with is potatoes. No matter how I store them, they seem to start sprouting after a couple of days. I can't use a whole bag of potatoes quickly enough, and the supermarkets seem to have stopped selling most types of potato loose these days. This is the food type I waste most of.

I'm in a similar position with tatties - I don't use enough and the only loose ones I've seen are those marketed as baking potatoes. Sprouting spuds will not be a problem this year; I have acquired a number of large pots and will be growing my own. I appreciate that not everyone will have the space to do this, though.

Most of what I've learned came from parents, both born at the end of the 1940s, and grandparents who lived through the war; food waste was severely frowned upon. This is definitely a topic for a separate thread (maybe one of the grumpy-git ones), but I don't think people are as well educated about food these days. Are kids still taught home economics these days?

 

[2192]

1. Yes, potatoes start sprouting -- just knock the sprouts off. (I've never tried eating them -- has anyone?)
2. Bananas don't need a date -- just look at them. (Actually I prefer them when the outside has started to go dark.)
3. Bananas don't need a bag either -- nature gives them their own wrapping.

 

[Andy Pacer]

1. Yes, potatoes start sprouting -- just knock the sprouts off. (I've never tried eating them -- has anyone?)

Not knowingly eaten the large sprouts, but I'm sure I've had baked potatoes where they're just forming (not big enough to break off).

 

[ChrisC]

I don’t take any notice of best before date in regard to when I eat fruit and vegetables. I just use common sense as to whether they are ok to eat or not. The tomatoes that I currently have in the fridge are quite a few days past the best before date but are still perfectly ok to eat. Like others living on my own I quite often don’t get through some packs of fruits and veg very quickly. Although I am quite happy to eat these items well past their date, because I sometimes don’t get through packs very quickly, I do always like to make sure that they are well in date when I actually buy them. If best before dates are not clearly shown it is not so easy to determine those on the shop shelf which are the freshest at the time of purchase.

 

[Essan]

I wasn't even aware fruit and veg had use by dates on them ..... I've certainly never taken any notice of any.

 

[dk1]

The supermarkets are replacing dates with codes which hide the date but you can still work out the expiry date very easily if you know how.

Waitrose put a three digit number at the end of the supplier code to indicate the expiry date. The three digit number indicates the day of the year it expires.

So for some random examples:

• 307VNG005 means that the 5th of January is the expiry date (307VNG is the supplier code) as the 5th of January is the 5th day of the year.

• 307VNG119 means that the 29th of April is the expiry date (307VNG is the supplier code) as the 29th of April is the 119th day of the year.

• 307VNG215 means that the 3rd of August is the expiry date (307VNG is the supplier code) as the 3rd of August is the 215th day of the year.

• 307NNG361 means the the 27th of December is the expiry date (307VNG is the supplier code) as the 27th of December is the 361st day of the year.

So just ignore the first three numbers and the three letters and look at the last three numbers of the supplier code to work out the expiry date of Waitrose vegetables and fruits. You can do a quick Google to work out the date. So for example if it says 108 at the end Google "what is the 108th day of the year" and it will give you your answer.

Sainsburys and Tesco both use a simpler system where they use a simple two or three character code (separate to the supplier code) with the letters A to L for January to December and then the day of the month.

So for some random examples:

• A3 means the 3rd of January is the expiry date.

• D15 means the 15th of April is the expiry date.

• H7 means the 7th of August is the expiry date.

• L23 means the 23rd of December is the expiry date.

So it is very simple to quickly work it out by looking at the label on Sainsburys and Tesco products. Just look at the code starting with one letter followed by one or two numbers. Then that gives you the expiry date.

Personally i do not pay much attention to dates on fruits and vegetables. I regularly eat fruits and vegetables after their expiry date which are perfectly fine. Many will last for a while. But on the other hand i have had fruits and vegetables go bad before their expiry date. So i ignore the dates anyway. With more other things like meat it is very important to have expiry dates but with fruits and vegetables it is less necessary.

Thank you very much for this. I’m not a fan of them doing away with expiry dates so will try to work this out now each time.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Jan 2023 ==

Just need to work out how M&S label theirs now.

 

[John Webb]

I had to get a new fridge last year - my 22-year old one couldn't keep up with last year's heatwave and gave up. The new fridge seems much better at keeping things cool, and some salad items in particular seem to last much longer and well-past their nominal 'best by' date than when in the old fridge.

Potatoes - my nearest large supermarket usually has loose potatoes available and I find buying a small quantity once a week and storing in an open box in a cupboard seems to keep them from sprouting. But it would be nice if supermarkets could sell 0.5kg packs as an alternative to 1kg packs for those of us who live on our own.

 

[jfollows]

1. Yes, potatoes start sprouting -- just knock the sprouts off. (I've never tried eating them -- has anyone?)

All the time. Main effect is that the potatoes are also a bit softer. Maybe needing less cooking time. No effect on final appearance and taste to me and I’m still alive.

On the main question, I have no problem with best-before dates because I ignore them completely. Presumably the change is because some people take them seriously and/or don’t or can’t use common sense.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

1. Yes, potatoes start sprouting -- just knock the sprouts off. (I've never tried eating them -- has anyone?)

Definitely shouldn't eat the green sprouting bits off a potato, as they'll contain the glycoalkaloid 'solanine' and other potentially toxic nasties. And if the rest of your potato looks like it's just metamorphosed into something triffid-like, probably best to chuck the whole of it.

 

[stuartl]

When people bought their fruit and veg from the local green grocer it was all loose, no best before dates. We all survived.

 

[jmh59]

And if the rest of your potato looks like it's just metamorphosed into something triffid-like, probably best to chuck the whole of it.

Or plant it in the garden if you have access to one. We had a few (well, 6 then) home grown potatoes last year that way.

Presumably the change is because some people take them seriously and/or don’t or can’t use common sense.

Our eldest in particular - he will not touch anything after its marked best before date, yet will buy something one or two days before that date because it's cheap and forget about it.

 

[Howardh]

Because I live alone, I generally try to buy loose fruit and veg rather than packaged.

Much as I love Lidl, it really annoys me that their potatoes come only in pre-sized bags, meaning when I buy a pack by the time I reach the last they are going green and sprouting. I get over it now by giving my neighbour half of them rather than see them wasted. Another rant - why do their cucumbers have to come with plastic cover?? jeez....I think cucumbers and other such fruits have a perfectly good wrapping of their own. After all they don't wrap their melons..!!!

 

[DynamicSpirit]

I fully agree with removing dates from fruit and veg. As far as I'm concerned, it's simply common sense and I'm perfectly capable of determining when something really is past it.

If tomatoes are getting a bit over-ripe they'll go a bit squishy and wrinkled, but there's nothing wrong with them and they're perfectly good for pasta sauces or soups. I only chuck them when they start growing furry stuff and then they'll go in the compost bin.

The problem is that some people see the date as an absolute limit, beyond which the food is not fit for consumption. I've seen friends throw out perfectly good stuff because it's a day or two past the use-by date and it's incredibly frustrating to watch.

I agree that's frustrating. But surely the solution is to put more effort into teaching people what best-before and use-by dates mean and how to use them properly. For my part, I'm well aware that those dates are approximate and that they depend, amongst other things, on how you store the stuff after you've bought it blah blah. I don't throw things out that are still clearly good to eat. But nevertheless, in my experience the best-before dates are usually reasonably accurate (within a few days for very perishable items), and they do provide a useful approximate guide that helps me avoid wasting food (for example, by leaving it too long, or buying more than I can eat in time). You seem to be suggesting that, because some people don't understand how to use best-before dates, you should deny everyone access to that information - even those people who do understand how to interpret those dates.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Jan 2023 ==

I wasn't even aware fruit and veg had use by dates on them ..... I've certainly never taken any notice of any.

I'm not sure they have 'use by' dates on them. This thread is talking specifically about 'best before' dates (which are the ones that indicate the quality may drop after that date, although the food is probably still safe to eat). I can only recall seeing 'best before' dates on fruit/veg - before the supermarkets recently started removing some of them.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Jan 2023 ==

• A3 means the 3rd of January is the expiry date.

• D15 means the 15th of April is the expiry date.

• H7 means the 7th of August is the expiry date.

• L23 means the 23rd of December is the expiry date.

So it is very simple to quickly work it out by looking at the label on Sainsburys and Tesco products. Just look at the code starting with one letter followed by one or two numbers. Then that gives you the expiry date.

Personally i do not pay much attention to dates on fruits and vegetables. I regularly eat fruits and vegetables after their expiry date which are perfectly fine. Many will last for a while. But on the other hand i have had fruits and vegetables go bad before their expiry date. So i ignore the dates anyway. With more other things like meat it is very important to have expiry dates but with fruits and vegetables it is less necessary.

Thanks, that is very useful. But are you sure you're naming the correct supermarkets. I just checked a few of my labels, that A3/D15 system you describes seems to be on ASDA stuff but not Sainsburys stuff (I don't currently have anything from any other supermarkets to check)

 

[2192]

... Another rant - why do their cucumbers have to come with plastic cover?? jeez....I think cucumbers and other such fruits have a perfectly good wrapping of their own. After all they don't wrap their melons..!!!

The Co-op here (Derby) said they had done research and found there was more wastage if they sold cucumbers unwrapped than wrapped. I do eat the skins of cucumbers, but not bananas -- don't most people?

 

[DelayRepay]

When people bought their fruit and veg from the local green grocer it was all loose, no best before dates. We all survived.

In those days I imagine the fruit and veg was fresher. More of it was probably locally grown and travelled from the farm to the shop quicker than it does today. And I think people used to shop more often, so they'd buy what they needed for the next day or two rather than buying a week's supply at a time. Of course then the choice of items was more limited because we didn't import as much out of season produce.

And, you could buy the exact quantity you wanted. This is more difficult now a days due to the use of plastic packaging.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Jan 2023 ==

Our eldest in particular - he will not touch anything after its marked best before date, yet will buy something one or two days before that date because it's cheap and forget about it.

Over Christmas, I discovered that somebody I know doesn't 'trust' use by dates, so throws food away two days before the use by date

I always work on the basis that there's at least a day's margin of error built in so things will usually be fine the next day at least, subject to the smell test. How far beyond a day I go will depend on the type of item - fruit and veg I ignore the date but I am more careful with chicken and fish.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

2. Bananas don't need a date -- just look at them. (Actually I prefer them when the outside has started to go dark.)
3. Bananas don't need a bag either -- nature gives them their own wrapping.

Bananas are exceptionally 'user-friendly' in the way that you can pretty much tell the internal state of them from the external appearance.

At the other end of the scale, honeydew melons always give me trouble. So far as I can tell, a melon that is (to my taste) slightly unripe, with the insides slightly too hard looks completely identical to a melon that is starting to go squishy and spoiled inside. I'd love to be able to figure out a way to tell when a melon is just ripe, but I'm not sure any method exists if you don't know how long it's been stored for (and since melons are sold loose, they generally don't have best-before dates.

All the time. Main effect is that the potatoes are also a bit softer. Maybe needing less cooking time. No effect on final appearance and taste to me and I’m still alive.

Similar here. If it's small sprouts, I'll just remove them before cooking. I think it does change the taste though - at least for oven-baked jacket potatoes: I tested this a couple of weeks ago in fact: By chance I had some freshly bought baking potatoes, and a couple that I'd had for a week that were starting to sprout. So I cooked both lots. Turned out that the fresh ones tasted a lot nicer, although the older ones were still perfectly edible.

 

[GusB]

I'm not sure they have 'use by' dates on them. This thread is talking specifically about 'best before' dates (which are the ones that indicate the quality may drop after that date, although the food is probably still safe to eat). I can only recall seeing 'best before' dates on fruit/veg - before the supermarkets recently started removing some of them.

Well, it just goes to show how much attention I've been paying - of the items in my fridge that were prepacked, mushrooms and tomatoes had best before dates, and the carrots and leeks had the code L26 printed on the wrappers - I assume this is supposed to signify 26th December. (Confirmed in an earlier post)

It has been a while since I worked for the Co-op, but at that point they were definitely using display until/use by for produce. I'm glad to see they've switched to best before.

Another term that was used, mainly on bread, was "best before (2)", which indicated to store staff that price reductions should be made 2 days beforehand.

I think it was Morrisons that took the lead in using best before dates on milk (previously use by) and I believe the current thinking is that use by should only really be used on stuff that could potentially cause harm if used past the date, ie meat and poultry.

 

[ainsworth74]

I'm not sure they have 'use by' dates on them. This thread is talking specifically about 'best before' dates (which are the ones that indicate the quality may drop after that date, although the food is probably still safe to eat).

Which sort of shows the Food Standard Agencies point that people don't know the difference! We seem to be having that very same confusion on this thread

 

[DarloRich]

I fully agree with removing dates from fruit and veg. As far as I'm concerned, it's simply common sense and I'm perfectly capable of determining when something really is past it.

If tomatoes are getting a bit over-ripe they'll go a bit squishy and wrinkled, but there's nothing wrong with them and they're perfectly good for pasta sauces or soups. I only chuck them when they start growing furry stuff and then they'll go in the compost bin.

The problem is that some people see the date as an absolute limit, beyond which the food is not fit for consumption. I've seen friends throw out perfectly good stuff because it's a day or two past the use-by date and it's incredibly frustrating to watch. The other issue is that shops aren't allowed to sell anything beyond a use-by date so if it doesn't sell, even after a price reduction, it gets wasted. I believe that's why the "display until" date was introduced - it gives staff the signal to start reducing prices so that the product has a chance to sell before it ultimately has to be thrown away.

If you absolutely must have a date, it should be a "best before".

this fully reflects my view. The level of wasted, yet perfectly good, food is outrageous. People need to learn how to use every item and how best to cook "tired" items. You cant beat a tired veg curry!

I always work on the basis that there's at least a day's margin of error built in so things will usually be fine the next day at least, subject to the smell test. How far beyond a day I go will depend on the type of item - fruit and veg I ignore the date but I am more careful with chicken and fish.

I go much further beyond dates than that with everything but prawns. The sniff test is the key.

I'm in a similar position with tatties - I don't use enough and the only loose ones I've seen are those marketed as baking potatoes.

Potatoes - my nearest large supermarket usually has loose potatoes available and I find buying a small quantity once a week and storing in an open box in a cupboard seems to keep them from sprouting

meaning when I buy a pack by the time I reach the last they are going green and sprouting.

I live alone so have a similar issue. I find that using a brown paper bag, wrapped up tight, in a dark & cool cupboard for your pots, onions, squash, sweet pots etc means these veggies last for ever.

If any "eyes" do sprout just knock them off and crack on.

 

[Essan]

Which sort of shows the Food Standard Agencies point that people don't know the difference! We seem to be having that very same confusion on this thread

My apologies for upsetting the pedants - my point was simply that I never notice the dates

Another point is that how long fruit and veg will last after purchase will depend on time of year, weather and where they are stored. Potatoes will turn green or start sprouting much sooner in summer when left in dfirect sunlight than if stored in a dry cupboard out of the sun in winter. Apples will last all winter long if properly stored - but can rot or shrivel in days under different circumstances.

 

[DarloRich]

I was recently introduced to an organisation in Leeds called "Surplus to Purpose". I thought it was a really good idea to combat the waste of food in our society. Details are below.

#SToP Wasting Food – Surplus To Purpose

surplus2purpose.com

An environmental enterprise which specialises in the interception of surplus food destined for waste.

We intercept edible produce from heading to landfill. This produce may be past best before, have suffered accidental damage or deemed to be surplus to requirements.

So simply put, we give ‘surplus’ food its purpose by putting it BACK onto your plate.

 

[class68fan]

Not fruit or veg, but I am currently eating some toast made with bread which expired on 30 December. It's absolutely fine.

Mould that is not seen in bread can be very bad to eat. If it is seen on outside it probable all way through but not seen. Better to put in freeze then toast from there or make sandwitch