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Tesco removing use-by dates

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Tesco removing use-by dates

Postby Pampy » Sun Jun 17, 2018 4:05 pm

Tesco has announced that it plans to remove use-by dates on certain products, in a effort to reduce food waste.
Of course, anything that can reduce food wastage has got to be good but I'm sure Tesco will benefit financially as they will be able to keep the foods on the shelves at full price for longer. I also wonder how the customer will be able to assess how fresh the products are.
Am I the only one who is rather cynical about this?

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Re: Tesco removing use-by dates

Postby jeral » Sun Jun 17, 2018 6:36 pm

"Use-by" is an EU Directive so as such it is also in UK law for pre-packed goods(*) so I imagine Use-by dates are still being shown on goods where that regulation applies, but dates might be being removed from items where they aren't legally required (maybe never were) and it suits Tesco to remove them.

(*)[Quote:]
"date of minimum durability or the ‘use by’ date"
Per: https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidan ... ef=related
[Endquote]

That being so, who knows why dates were applied voluntarily or unnecessarily in the first place such that they can be not shown now? E.g. Shopper expectation, marketing (to buy quick while freshest), uniformity of stock control systems? All three?

It might be a welcome forerunner to less packaging (save the planet), but perhaps less altruistically because labelling for loose goods is much less stringent. I'll wait to see which items suddenly become devoid of a Use-by date...

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Re: Tesco removing use-by dates

Postby jeral » Sun Jun 17, 2018 7:29 pm

Pampy, can you iink to an article please as I can't find anything re Tesco and Use-by dates? They made the announcement last month about Best-before dates of course which is all I can find.

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Re: Tesco removing use-by dates

Postby Stokey Sue » Sun Jun 17, 2018 9:56 pm

It's not the mandatory use-by dates, but the advisory best-by dates that are being removed

They announced the plan last month

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/may/21/tesco-best-before-dates-fruit-avegetables-food-waste
Last edited by Stokey Sue on Sun Jun 17, 2018 11:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Tesco removing use-by dates

Postby karadekoolaid » Sun Jun 17, 2018 10:04 pm

I think that is very good news!

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Re: Tesco removing use-by dates

Postby Pampy » Mon Jun 18, 2018 2:29 pm

Yes - Sue's right - I meant best before dates.

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Re: Tesco removing use-by dates

Postby Lusciouslush » Mon Jun 18, 2018 4:31 pm

You're right to be cynical Pampy - everything Tesco does is for self benefit, but always masquerading as a community service!

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Re: Tesco removing use-by dates

Postby Pampy » Mon Jun 18, 2018 6:15 pm

My thoughts exactly, Lush!

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Re: Tesco removing use-by dates

Postby jeral » Mon Jun 18, 2018 6:56 pm

It is possible that both community and "the planet" benefit too (from not showing Best-before dates) although granted that Tesco no doubt estimate they'll certainly be a winner.

I don't really have a problem with that as shoppers pay for supermarket wastage via pricing anyway. It would be nice if we got back to paying for food and not for disposal of their packaging and landfill waste.

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