Asda to scrap fresh produce ‘best before’ dates in bid to reduce food waste

From 1 September, Asda will remove the ‘best before’ dates from almost 250 of its fresh fruit and vegetable products to help customers reduce food waste and save money.

The rollout will be across all of Asda’s UK stores and the dates will be replaced with a code to be used by store employees to ensure quality and freshness are maintained. 

The supermarket is also providing additional guidance online and on packaging to help customers to understand how to best store and prepare fresh food, as well as tips on how to reduce food waste.

The change is just one way Asda is targeting a 20% reduction in waste by 2025 and comes as research from climate action group Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) reveals that the average family throws away £60 worth of food and drink each month.

Catherine David, director of collaboration and change at WRAP, said: “Our research has shown that date labels on fruit and veg are unnecessary – getting rid of them can prevent the equivalent of 7 million shopping baskets’ worth from our household bins. Storing most fruit and veg products in the fridge, below 5 degrees, will keep them fresher longer.”