Asda takes steps to combat food waste with new label change

Asda has announced a major change to over half of its own-brand yoghurts by removing “Use By” dates and replacing them with “Best Before” dates to help customers combat food waste in the home.

The change follows data from climate action NGO WRAP, which says that half of all yoghurt wasted in UK households is in unopened packs.

The report also showed that 70% of all the yoghurt wasted in the home is due to the product ‘not being used in time’, with the date label cited as the reason.

The Asda Technical Manager, Microbiologist, and Product Manager have been conducting robust food safety and quality evaluations to confirm that existing recipes in those 28 lines, which sell around 455,000 a week, make it safe for those products to change to ‘Best Before’ labelling.

Over the next few weeks, customers will notice the label change on products such as Asda natural yoghurt, Greek Yoghurt, and Extra Special Strawberry and Hazelnut.

The “Best Before” date indicates the product’s quality, rather than safety, and will give customers more flexibility in consuming the product before it goes bad.

Asda’s move to change the labels is a step towards reducing food waste, which has a significant environmental impact.

According to WRAP, food waste in the UK produces 20 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year, equivalent to the emissions of one in four cars on the road.

By reducing food waste, Asda is not only helping customers save money but also doing its part to combat climate change.

This move by Asda is a step in the right direction, and it will be interesting to see if other supermarkets will follow suit to help reduce food waste in the UK.

Paul Gillow, Vice President – Fresh & Frozen Foods at Asda, said: “We are always looking at ways we can help customers reduce food waste in the home, and with research from WRAP saying 54,000 tonnes of edible yoghurt is thrown away unnecessarily each year we are hopeful this change will both make a big difference to the environment and save customers money at the same time.”

Catherine David, Director of Collaboration & Change, WRAP, said: “WRAP is thrilled to see our partner Asda make these changes on yoghurts – which will help reduce food waste in our homes. Wasting food feeds climate change and costs us money – with the average family spending £700 year on good food which ends up in the bin. Our research shows applying the appropriate date label to products like yoghurts can help reduce the amount of good food that is thrown in the bin.

“Check out Love Food Hate Waste for tips on how to make the most of the food you buy – for example ensuring your fridge is below 5^oC, to keep your food fresher for longer.”

The change follows Asda’s removal of Best Before dates on almost 250 of its fresh fruit and vegetables products late last year including citrus fruits, potatoes, cauliflowers and carrots.