Sainsbury’s has announced a major change affecting more than 230 products in stores across the UK.

The supermarket has announced plans to remove the best before dates on over 100 fresh produce lines, including pears, onions, tomatoes, and citrus fruits, and a further 130 products including potatoes will follow.

The nationwide ban follows similar initiatives from Tesco, Waitrose Morrisons and Asda.

The retailer will also 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 and will give customers more autonomy to make their own decisions on whether their food is good to eat after the ‘best before’ date.

Kate Stein, Director of Technical at Sainsbury’s 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.

She added: With changes like these, together, we can all play our part in tackling the climate crisis and protecting the planet for generations to come.”

According to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), ‘use by’ dates are linked to food safety, whereas ‘best before’ dates relate to food quality.

Food with a ‘use by’ date applied should never be used past this date (unless frozen on or before that date), whereas foods with a ‘best before’ date can be eaten beyond that date.

Following stringent testing, Sainsbury’s 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 changes come as part of the retailer’s 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.

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