Morrisons Ditches ‘Use By’ Dates on Milk to Slash Waste
Morrisons is shaking up milk labels, swapping the strict ‘use by’ date for a more relaxed ‘best before’ on 90% of its own-brand milk. The supermarket giant is urging shoppers to trust their noses instead of dates to judge milk freshness.
Bold Move to Cut Milk Waste
Starting later this month, Morrisons becomes the first major retailer to make this bold change. Ian Goode, senior milk buyer at Morrisons, called it a “bold step” aimed at tackling food waste.
Milk is the UK’s third most wasted food, with some 490 million pints binned every year, according to recycling charity Wrap. Shockingly, Wrap says 85 million pints of milk waste is linked to customers tossing milk as soon as the ‘use by’ date hits – even though milk can often be safely used days later.
Could Save Millions of Pints
Morrisons estimates this new labelling could save a whopping seven million pints of milk from being poured down the drain each year.
Here’s the deal: ‘Use by’ dates are about safety, marking when food must be eaten to avoid health risks. Meanwhile, ‘best before’ dates are about quality – when food tastes its best.
Morrisons insists its research proves milk doesn’t need be labelled as perishable, so the date itself isn’t changing, just how customers react to it. “The dates on the milk will stay the same – it is what we are asking customers to do which is changing,” the retailer explained.
Safety Warnings and Sniff Test Debate
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) confirms both ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates are acceptable on milk, depending on processing. But it warns clear labelling is vital, and all dates must be backed by solid evidence.
On sniffing milk to check safety, the FSA sounded a note of caution: while smelling is common, it’s not a fail-safe safety test. Some food poisoning risks can’t be detected by smell alone.
Still, Morrisons is betting shoppers will take the sniff test on board – and that millions of pints of good milk won’t go to waste anymore.
