Sainsbury’s is making a significant change to its milk product labelling to help reduce food waste.
- The retailer will replace use-by dates with best-before dates on its own-brand milk range.
- This change will affect all fresh and organic milk sold across the United Kingdom.
- The transition aims to address the wastage of 490 million pints of milk annually in the UK.
- Sainsbury’s follows a similar move by M&S to decrease food waste and support sustainable practices.
Sainsbury’s, a leading supermarket chain, has announced its decision to phase out use-by dates in favour of best-before dates on its own-brand milk range in an effort to reduce food waste. This initiative will be applied to 44 milk products, encompassing both fresh and organic milk sold throughout England, Scotland, and Wales.
The change, expected to be fully implemented by the end of February 2024, is a strategic response to findings by the climate NGO, Wrap, highlighting that milk ranks as the third most wasted food item in the United Kingdom. Approximately 490 million pints of milk are discarded each year, often due to uncertainty about its freshness after the indicated date.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) clarifies that while use-by dates pertain to food safety, best-before dates concern product quality. Foods can be safely consumed after the best-before date, provided they have not spoiled. To ensure optimal quality and reduce unnecessary disposal, Sainsbury’s advises customers to utilise sensory checks such as smelling the milk to ascertain its condition.
Ruth Cranston, Sainsbury’s Director of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, emphasised the company’s commitment to combating food waste, stating, “Around a third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted. By switching to best-before dates on our milk, we are empowering customers to make their own decisions on whether their food is good to eat, helping to prevent them from disposing of food too early.”
This initiative follows a similar decision by M&S in June, which also aimed to remove use-by dates on its RSPCA assured fresh milk, as part of a broader goal to reduce food waste by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2040. Complementing this, Sainsbury’s is investing £6 million to offer increased financial support to dairy farmers, with £4.3 million allocated to provide an additional 1p per litre of milk, supplementing the cost of production price.
Sainsbury’s strategic labelling change is a progressive step towards reducing food waste and promoting sustainability within the dairy sector.
