Use By Date Law...

FaloolaChong

This may be an obvious question to many of you lot, but many moons ago when I worked for the Co-Op, we used to have to reduce any "Use By" dates on the day before the date printed on the packaging and I believe this was "law" (though you could sell Best Before stuff on the actual date...) Everywhere else seemed to do this too, but now my Sainsbury's has suddenly started reducing things on the actual day itself...has there been a change and is this common practice now everywhere?

Bongedone

I don't think there is any law here. The only thing they have to do is stop selling if after the use by date. They don't have to discount it before hand as they could just bin it but that would be silly.

Mrembo

High risk products have labels indicating the date they have to be used by.It is against the law to sell food beyond its use by date. Best before indicates quality.

If a product label says use by lets say 28th it means the product must not be on the shelf on the 29th.Most retailers reduce them earlier to reduce wastage.

When i go shopping i always aim for the goods at the back of the shelf.

FaloolaChong

Oh I agree they don't HAVE to discount it...just that I remember when I worked (as I said) at the Co-Op that this was policy and we were told it was the "law" (that may have been nonsense...) and I always recall Sainsbury's et al doing the same, reducing meat, for example, marked 29th on the 28th...but no more in my local.

itsmeagain

FaloolaChong wrote: »

This may be an obvious question to many of you lot, but many moons ago when I worked for the Co-Op, we used to have to reduce any "Use By" dates on the day before the date printed on the packaging and I believe this was "law" (though you could sell Best Before stuff on the actual date...) Everywhere else seemed to do this too, but now my Sainsbury's has suddenly started reducing things on the actual day itself...has there been a change and is this common practice now everywhere?

The food standards agency explains the rules on the different labelling and even they have it technically wrong. If it says 'use by' the 15th' this technically means that you shouldn't use it on the 15th and you should have used it by the end of the 14th.
Shops advertise sales 'until the 15th' but the sale is really on until the 16th or end of 15th.
Any where else people get it right. Eg; if you have until you're 18 years old to open a child account then you can't open one when you're 18 and a bit or until your the end of 18 (ie 19).
If you have until 5pm you cant wait till 5.59pm etc...
But if you have until the 15th for some strange reason shops and the food agency think you have until the 00:00hrs on the 16th!
I expect in a court of law they would lose because the court would have to take the wordin literally without incorrect interpretation, sentiment or opinion.

zenmaster

itsmeagain wrote: »

The food standards agency explains the rules on the different labelling and even they have it technically wrong. If it says 'use by' the 15th' this technically means that you shouldn't use it on the 15th and you should have used it by the end of the 14th.
Shops advertise sales 'until the 15th' but the sale is really on until the 16th or end of 15th.
Any where else people get it right. Eg; if you have until you're 18 years old to open a child account then you can't open one when you're 18 and a bit or until your the end of 18 (ie 19).
If you have until 5pm you cant wait till 5.59pm etc...
But if you have until the 15th for some strange reason shops and the food agency think you have until the 00:00hrs on the 16th!
I expect in a court of law they would lose because the court would have to take the wordin literally without incorrect interpretation, sentiment or opinion.

Surely if that were the case the wording would be "use before"?

To use your example, if you have to be somewhere "by" 5pm then arriving at 5pm would be OK, however if you have to be there "before" 5pm it would not.

Forgetful

i have seen tesco sell a shelf full of products with a best before date that is months overdue!! is this legal??

Mrembo

Forgetful wrote: »

i have seen tesco sell a shelf full of products with a best before date that is months overdue!! is this legal??

Yes it is legal so long as the product won't cause harm.More than likely they forgot to take it off the shelf.

MrsBartolozzi

To the OP, your confusion may be related to the fact that previously many supermarkets' products had 2 dates on them - sell by(often called display until) and use by. They would then reduce the price on the sell by date which was usually 1 or 2 days before the use by date.
Most supermarkets now only have the second, use by. This means that they can choose when to reduce them - or not to if they like, if as long as they don't have them on the shelf after.

stephen77

Your still get bread with a sell by and a use by.
Which is a good practise. as its safe to eat up until its use by, but after a few days only good enough quality for toast or bread & butter pudding etc.

moonrakerz

Bongedone wrote: »

They don't have to discount it before hand as they could just bin it but that would be silly.

That is just what M & S used to do - selling stuff at reduced prices didn't fit their "image" !