If you’re fed up of binning your fresh fruit and veg just days after buying it because it’s gone sad and soggy, then you might want to hear about a ‘secret’ code on Tesco’s packaging that can help you get the freshest produce.
It comes after the supermarket, along with many others, have removed the best before dates from some packaging in a bid to reduce food waste when people throw away items that are past their best, but could still be perfectly edible.
Now, a Tesco employee has shared what shoppers should look out for on their fruit and veg packaging to make sure they get the best produce, The Mirror reports.
READ MORE: Acne-sufferers ‘obsessed’ with ‘game changer’ toner that transforms skin and smells ‘amazing’
If you've ever bought fruit and veg from Tesco, you may have noticed that the packaging sometimes comes with a small code printed on the front, usually consisting of one letter and one or two numbers.
According to an unnamed employee, who posts under the username @financegirlbargains, this code is meant to replace traditional use-by and sell-by dates and tells you how fresh your produce is and how long it's supposed to last.
In the viral video, the employee zoomed in on a packet of Tesco mangetout with the code A3, and another with the code A6.
She wrote: "Tesco staff training taught me the higher the number, the fresher the product."
People in the comments were also quick to expand on her explanation, as they said that the codes are direct stand-ins for traditional dates, as the letter represents the month, and the number represents the day.
So in her video, one packet had a sell-by date of January 3, and the other of January 6.
One said: "A - January, B - February, C - March, D - April, and so on and so on and then the numbers are the days of the month."
While another added: "Letter means the month, so D is April. The number is the day. So D8 is the 8th of April."
Another commenter also pointed out that higher numbers don't always mean fresher produce, as a packet with a code of B3 would be fresher than A31, as the former would be February 3 while the latter would be January 31.
They wrote: "Well no … because, for example, B3 is better than A31 since A31 = Jan 31st but B3 = Feb 3rd."
The code was designed to remove the need for traditional sell-by dates, and while some hailed the decision to try and cut down on food waste, others said they want to see traditional dates put back on their produce.
One person wrote: "The aim is to reduce food waste by changing the month to letters."
But another disagreed, stating: "Can't they put the dates back on? It's impossible to know what needs to be used up quicker once you get them home."
READ MORE:
- I found the perfect Valentine’s date night dress at Boohoo - and it was only £20
Marks and Spencer giving away £60 worth of products to anyone who spends £25
Selena Gomez's budget skincare saviour for removing mascara that's under £4
Beauty fans ‘need’ £10 Bobbi Brown primer dupe that rivals Aldi and Primark
Boots shoppers bagging £25 eye cream that ‘instantly erases’ dark circles for £9
