Best before dates on fresh fruit and veg are set to ‘expire’ as Co-op axes the dates from more than 150 lines of fresh produce to help customers cut food waste in the home and save money, the convenience retailer has confirmed.
Shoppers will see changes in store later this month with best before dates removed from all of Co-op’s fresh produce – including: apples, oranges, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, onions and broccoli - with the exception of a small number of the more perishable products, or where it can be harder to use visual cues and judgement to establish the suitability to consume.
Product life testing by WRAP shows that fruit and veg can be good to eat well beyond the best before date when stored in optimal conditions, including: broccoli – where the difference between the best before date and the first sign of deterioration was found to be 15 days; potatoes – where the difference was 20 days and, apples – which was in excess of 70 days.
