Aldi is removing Use By dates from its fresh milk products and replacing them with Best Before dates across its stores in England and Wales to help reduce food waste.
Britain’s fourth-largest supermarket says the changes will start rolling out in stores by the end of the year.
As long as milk has been stored properly and doesn’t smell bad, it can still be safe to drink past its Best Before date. Aldi is encouraging shoppers to perform a “sniff test” to determine whether their milk is still fine to consume.
According to waste reduction charity WRAP, nearly 300,000 tonnes of milk is wasted by UK households each year.
Liz Fox, Sustainability Director at Aldi UK, commented: “We are constantly working to be a more sustainable retailer and we are dedicated to preventing food waste wherever we can, both in our stores and helping customers throw away less food at home.
We are constantly working to be a more sustainable retailer and we are dedicated to preventing food waste wherever we can.
“We hope shoppers embrace this change and look, smell, and taste their milk to see if it’s still fine to use, so together we can reduce the effect food waste has on the environment.”
The removal of Use By Dates is Aldi’s latest move as it works towards its goal of halving food waste by 2030. The supermarket has already removed Best Before dates from around 60 fresh fruit and vegetable lines – including apples and pears, citrus fruits, potatoes, carrots and onions.
Earlier this year, Aldi rolled out its partnership with food surplus app Too Good To Go nationwide which allows customers to purchase a “magic bag” of food that is approaching the end of its shelf life for £3.30, with each bag containing at least £10 of groceries.
Aldi also recently introduced clear caps on its milk bottles to improve recyclability.