Tesco to reduce food waste

Tesco is to remove ‘Best Before’ consumption guidance dates off almost 70 fruit and vegetable products to avoid perfectly edible food being thrown away.

The fruit and vegetables included are apples, potatoes, tomatoes, lemons and other citrus fruit and onions.

“We have made this change to fruit and vegetable packaging as they are among the most wasted foods,” said Tesco head of food waste Mark Little. “We know some customers may be confused by the difference between ‘Best Before’ and ‘Use By’ dates on food,” which can lead to items being thrown away despite being edible.

‘Best Before’ labels indicate that although they are no longer at their best they are still good to eat. The National Federation of Women’s Institutes’ (NFWI) research into causes of food waste found that less than half of respondents understood the meaning of ‘Best Before’ dates.

“This change by Tesco provides a good opportunity to learn about the customer response, and we anticipate Tesco will share their findings,” said David Moon, head of business collaboration at WRAP.