Co-op said it will be removing use-by dates from its own branded yoghurts to reduce food waste.
The convenience retailer is the first grocer to replace ‘use by’ with ‘best before’ on the labelling in the hope it will prevent shoppers from throwing the yoghurts out.
Use by dates are guides to consumers that the food should not be consumed after the date for safety reasons, while the best before date refers to the quality of the product.
According to Co-op, testing ensures the yoghurts are safe to consume past the date on the label, although it does encourage customers to check the quality of the product and use visual cues.
“Yoghurt can be safe to eat if stored unopened in a fridge after the date mark shown, so we have made the move to best before dates to help reduce food waste,” said Nick Cornwell, head of food technical at Co-op.
Nearly 42,000 tonnes, or £100mln, worth of yoghurt is thrown out each year due to guidance printed on the pack, according to a statement.
Data from Statista found that six million people in the UK consume yoghurts per day, with research from WRAP suggesting half of those are thrown away.
WRAP also found that 70% of yoghurts that are disposed of are done so because of “not being used in time,” with the date label cited as the reason.