Lidl confusing Best Before date codes

djwbrighton

Lidl uses confusing different best before codes on pre packaged fresh produce. Some have the date clearly visible showing the day and the month and some not and some showing the week number. Trading standards talk about 'appropriate date mark' I think that the use of week number with no Best Before wording is deliberately confusing. when challenged they say 'Oh we know when its fresh' which is not true as I have had blueberries, peaches and tomatoes all go mouldy/rotten the next day after purchasing them. I don't always keep the receipt, but that's no excuse for not having clear visible best before dates not numbers like 3104!

stephen77

"use by" and "best before" can be marked up differently.


Though with out a picture I can not see what your seeing to pass comment on how confusing they are.

dlusman

The regualtions say that "best before" must be marked as day, month, year, "use by" can be marked either as day, month, year , or just day, month
Anything else is illegal

You say these are "pre-packaged fresh produce" - are you sure you are talking about "best-before" ? it is more likely to be "use-by" , in either case if they are using labelling that is meaningless to the general public then it isnt legal.

geordie_joe

djwbrighton wrote: »

I think that the use of week number with no Best Before wording is deliberately confusing.

If there is no Best Before wording, how do you know it's a Best Before date? It could just be the week number the produce was packed in.

geordie_joe

djwbrighton wrote: »

Lidl uses confusing different best before codes on pre packaged fresh produce. Some have the date clearly visible showing the day and the month and some not

What type of produce?

I'm sure I read that fresh fruit and veg don't need a date unless they have been peeled or cut/chopped.

Gigervamp

I never look at best before dates on fruit and veg, I use my eyes to see if it looks ok and my fingers to feel if it's ripe/hard/over-ripe etc.

I don't think f&v needs a best before date now anyway. I believe it was recently changed due to the amount of wastage.

dlusman

This overview of food labelling ,updated in July 2014 , is still saying that pre-packaged food must be date labelled , and doesnt mention any exclusions for fruit & veg
https://www.gov.uk/food-labelling-and-packaging/overview

hansi

It's all a load of codwallop designed to make us spend more money. I bought a large jar of sauerkraut the other day, and on the jar it said to refrigerate after openng and totally consume in two days! Physically impossible!

Nada666

hansi wrote: »

Physically impossible!

What? May not be a sensible idea but fail to see what is impossible about that.

geordie_joe

dlusman wrote: »

This overview of food labelling ,updated in July 2014 , is still saying that pre-packaged food must be date labelled , and doesnt mention any exclusions for fruit & veg
https://www.gov.uk/food-labelling-and-packaging/overview

Point 1. "Updated" usually just means the last time the document was saved. It does not mean the entire text of the document was revised, checked and updated. It could just mean someone opened it, moved the heading one space to the right then saved the document.

Point 2. The Food Regulations 1996 section 22(a) say the following

Foods which need not bear an appropriate durability indication

22. The following foods need not be marked or labelled with an appropriate durability indication:

(a)fresh fruit and vegetables (including potatoes but not including sprouting seeds, legume sprouts and similar products) which have not been peeled or cut into pieces;

Guidance on the application of date labels to food issued by defra in 2011, page 18 paragraph 7 says the same thing.

REGULATION (EU) No 1169/2011 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Which comes into force on 13 December this year also says (Page 40 Annex X paragraph 1d)

(d) subject to Union provisions imposing other types of date indication, an indication of the date of minimum durability shall not be required for:

— fresh fruit and vegetables, including potatoes, which have not been peeled, cut or similarly treated; this derogation shall not apply to sprouting seeds and similar products such as legume sprouts,

So, it was the law in 1996, 2011 and it is still included in new law coming into force this year. So there is no reason not to think it is still the law today.

You should never trust an "overview" because by it's very definition most of the information has been left out.