M&S to scrap milk use by dates

dealyboy

All ... the article has been updated since I first posted, to add ...

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Safe to use?

According to food regulators, whether milk needs a use-by date depends on how much it has been processed.

Food businesses should assess the "microbiological risk" before deciding whether to apply a use-by date or best before date, the Food Standards Agency said.

It warned that a "sniff test" is not always reliable.

"People can't always smell the bugs that cause food poisoning," it said in 2022.

It advised against consuming milk after a specified use-by date "even if it smells fine".

However, milk with a best before date label "can be sniffed to see if it has gone bad," it said.

People who have a problem with their sense of smell should get someone else to check it, or not use the milk after the best-before date, it added.

Supermarkets have been ditching use-by dates on fruit and vegetables to help reduce food waste for a number of years.

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... Well that clarifies it, doesn't it 

BikingBud

dealyboy said:

All ... the article has been updated since I first posted, to add ...

"

Safe to use?

According to food regulators, whether milk needs a use-by date depends on how much it has been processed.

Food businesses should assess the "microbiological risk" before deciding whether to apply a use-by date or best before date, the Food Standards Agency said.

It warned that a "sniff test" is not always reliable.

"People can't always smell the bugs that cause food poisoning," it said in 2022.

It advised against consuming milk after a specified use-by date "even if it smells fine".

However, milk with a best before date label "can be sniffed to see if it has gone bad," it said.

People who have a problem with their sense of smell should get someone else to check it, or not use the milk after the best-before date, it added.

Supermarkets have been ditching use-by dates on fruit and vegetables to help reduce food waste for a number of years.

"

... Well that clarifies it, doesn't it 

Well no, not when you snip and misquote

"The FSA recommends that people only use sensory tests, like the ‘sniff test’, for foods with a best before date. If the product has a use-by date, the sniff test is not reliable. People can’t always smell the bugs that cause food poisoning." 

or

 "For foods with a best before date (which concerns food quality), you may choose to use sensory cues to find out if the food is okay to eat. For example, you could look for visible mould on bread, taste to see if biscuits/crisps are stale, or sniff/smell some dairy products with a best before date to see if they have soured.

For food with a use-by date, the ‘sniff test’ is not an appropriate method for testing if food is safe to eat. Food can look and smell fine even after the use by date has passed, but the product will not be safe to eat. We can’t see or smell the bugs that can cause food poisoning."

But then again it was never unclear

Next thing we'll have, is people complaining that cheese has mould in it😤

sarah1972

Finally some more common sense by the supermarkets 👍👍

Best before on milk is a great idea. I regularly use milk past its date. 

It’s great that fruit & veg rarely have dates anymore too. 

Here’s to less waste and more ‘no dates on food’

badmemory

I really don't think it matters if it is a use by or BBE date.  If you are accustomed to binning on that date you still will.  What I really dislike are the codes.  Whilst the supermarket is supposed to remove from the shelf by its BBE date there is absolutely no way of telling if they have. 

sarah1972

badmemory said:

I really don't think it matters if it is a use by or BBE date.  If you are accustomed to binning on that date you still will.  What I really dislike are the codes.  Whilst the supermarket is supposed to remove from the shelf by its BBE date there is absolutely no way of telling if they have. 

Why are supermarkets supposed to remove products past their best before dates? Sell at a reduced rate is more probable. 

Veg and fruit should never have dates on them anyway, lots have been in storage for months already and people presume it’s fresh. Common sense tells us if it’s still acceptable to eat. 

Milk I can understand how we can’t tell other than actually sniffing.
I do however, agree that those people who, for reasons only known to them bin perfectly edible food because of a date will continue to do so but maybe it will help in educating  the next generation.

pumpkin89

sarah1972 said:

Why are supermarkets supposed to remove products past their best before dates? Sell at a reduced rate is more probable. 

Every major UK supermarket has a policy of not selling food beyond its best before date.  This is primarily because selling food beyond its use by date is a serious criminal offence and, as we all know, a lot of the population doesn't really understand the difference.  It's just too big a risk for them to take so it's easier to adhere strictly to all forms of date coding.

sarah1972

pumpkin89 said:

sarah1972 said:

Why are supermarkets supposed to remove products past their best before dates? Sell at a reduced rate is more probable. 

Every major UK supermarket has a policy of not selling food beyond its best before date.  This is primarily because selling food beyond its use by date is a serious criminal offence and, as we all know, a lot of the population doesn't really understand the difference.  It's just too big a risk for them to take so it's easier to adhere strictly to all forms of date coding.

That’s not always the case I’m afraid. I have seen supermarkets selling things after it’s best before, in fact I picked up a multi packs of crisps this week from a co op and my friend bought some canned soft drinks in Sainsburys a few days ago.

It is not an offence for businesses to sell or use food past its 'best before' date, however, if the food is unfit or of poor quality an offence may have been committed, and you can tell the food business, or return the product.

pumpkin89

sarah1972 said:

That’s not always the case I’m afraid. I have seen supermarkets selling things after it’s best before, in fact I picked up a multi packs of crisps this week from a co op and my friend bought some canned soft drinks in Sainsburys a few days ago.

It is the policy of both Sainsbury's and Co-op not to sell food past its best before date.  That doesn't mean every shop or every member of staff adheres to it.

El_Torro

Does the average consumer even recognise the difference between a Use By date and a Best Before date? People on this thread seem to, but I doubt most shoppers do. I have no issue with this change, as long as the Best Before date is still clearly marked and we can make our minds up from there. 

What I do have issue with is when there is no date at all, like has been done at some supermarkets with some fruit and veg. This is just a way of shifting the waste from the supermarket to the consumer, no benefit to consumers at all. I know that we're already accustomed to doing this with some products (for example loose bananas). I don't like the trend continuing though.

sarah1972

pumpkin89 said:

sarah1972 said:

That’s not always the case I’m afraid. I have seen supermarkets selling things after it’s best before, in fact I picked up a multi packs of crisps this week from a co op and my friend bought some canned soft drinks in Sainsburys a few days ago.

It is the policy of both Sainsbury's and Co-op not to sell food past its best before date.  That doesn't mean every shop or every member of staff adheres to it.

 I went into my co op this morning and asked the manager. Their policy is that it’s sold at a reduced rate once it’s at or after it’s best before date. 

Can’t see anything on Sainsburys other than this https://www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/sustainability/plan-for-better/our-stories/2018/best-before-still-great-after#:~:text=You%20can%20eat%20food%20until,ready%2Dto%2Deat%20salads. but I haven’t been instore to ask