Sainsbury’s is set to introduce a new scheme to help consumers keep their dairy products from going to waste.
With over half a million tonnes of waste every year, it is stated that most of this waste is thrown away in our homes. WRAP have suggested that reducing the waste that is produced ever year can help lower “GHG emissions, tackle water stress and other sustainability challenges.”
Sainsbury’s and other supermarkets will now be using best-before dates on all their dairy products. This suggests that the date label and storage advice will become more prominent; placed on the front of the product. As well, a ‘Bonus Days’ icon that will be placed near the best-before date.
The ‘Bonus Days’ icon will suggest how to keep their dairy products fresher for longer. with the icon stating: ‘Keep me below 5c to enjoy extra days of freshness after the Best Before date.’ The icon is supposed to help consumers navigate their judgment of when the product is best to eat.
The visual guide will make it easier for consumers to help reduce the amount of waste in their homes. As well, on larger packs the Love Food, Hate Waste campaign will use messages such as ‘milk is amazing, it’s too good to bin. Pop it back in the fridge pronto/pour it on your cereal, not down the drain.’
The new design will affect 44 products and will apply to over 730 million pints of milk sold by Sainsbury’s each year.
Catherine David, Director of Behaviour Change & Business Programmes at WRAP, stated: ‘Applying a best-before date to milk rather than a use-by date means that people can use their judgment to eat beyond that date, allowing longer to use what they buy.’
As well, Ruth Cranston, Director of Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability at Sainsbury’s, stated: ‘Around a third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted combatting food waste is one of our top priorities and we are continuously innovating to tackle this issue, all the way from farms and suppliers, right to our customer’s homes.’
‘By switching to best-before dates on our milk we are empowering customers to make their own decisions on whether their food is good to eat, helping to prevent them from disposing of food too early.’
The new date labelling is set to roll out in the beginning of 2024. With the start of new year, the food industry moves closer to their goal of reducing food loss and waste in all areas of the supply chain by 2030.
source:
