Sainsbury’s says its latest labelling changes could save up to 17 million food products from going to waste each year.
The retailer has announced “major changes” to its date labels on packaging for 276 own brand products in a bid to help reduce food waste in homes. Sainsbury’s says these upcoming changes could help UK households to save 11,000 tonnes of food each year, which it says is the equivalent of 17 million products.
From the end of August, Sainsbury’s says it will begin the removal of ‘best before’ dates from a wide range of fresh produce including pears, onions, tomatoes, and citrus fruits from over 100 product lines, and a further 130 products including potatoes will follow.
The supermarket says the move builds on the work it has done in recent years to remove dates from over 1,500 lines including, pineapples, pumpkins, apples, and indoor plants.
With changes like these, together, we can all play our part in tackling the climate crisis and protecting the planet for generations to come.
An on-pack message ‘no date helps reduce waste’ will instead be present across the fresh produce where the label changes come into play.
Additionally, Sainsbury’s says it will switch all ‘use by’ dates on own-brand yoghurts to ‘best before’ dates by the end of this year a move which will affect 46 product lines.
Sainsbury’s says that, following stringent testing, it has found that its yoghurt is safe to consume past its expiration date, and instead, is giving customers more autonomy to make their own decisions on whether their food is good to eat after the ‘best before’ date.
The retailer says its changes come as part of its ongoing commitment to halve its food waste by 2030 and support its ongoing work with farmers and growers to reduce food waste in its supply chain, sending surplus food from stores to charity food donation partners and recovering energy from waste.
Sainsbury’s says it continues to collaborate with industry on reducing food waste and has been a member of the UK Food Waste Reduction Roadmap since 2018. The retailer says it works closely with WRAP to implement their guidance on upstream and downstream food waste, including increasing behavioural tips on product labelling.
We can help our customers save money by making their food shop last longer.
This year, Sainsbury’s says it engaged suppliers on aligning with WRAP’s best practice on redistributing own-label products within the supply chain, evolving its guidelines so that suppliers can redistribute any Sainsbury’s own-label products to its chosen food donation partners.
Director of Technical at Sainsbury’s, Kate Stein, said “We know that around a third of all food produced for human consumption is either lost or wasted and food waste is one of the leading contributors of carbon emissions, accounting for a staggering 8-10% of GHG emissions globally, which is why we’re committed to helping customers reduce waste at home.
“We also know that by avoiding unnecessary waste, we can help our customers save money by making their food shop last longer. The changes that we’re announcing today will do just that, giving customers more autonomy to make their own decisions on whether their food is good to eat, and preventing them from disposing of food too early.
“With changes like these, together, we can all play our part in tackling the climate crisis and protecting the planet for generations to come.”
