Supermarket Giant Tesco Cuts Confusing Dates to Combat Food Waste

  • Tesco removes ‘best before’ dates from 70 fruit and vegetable lines
  • Helps reduce food waste
  • Follows NFWI research on causes of food waste
  • Confusion between ‘Best Before’ and ‘Use By’ dates
  • Focus on most wasted foods: fruits and vegetables

Tesco is removing ‘best before’ consumption guidance dates from around 70 fruit and vegetable lines in a bid to reduce food waste. This move follows research by the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI) on the causes of food waste, which found that less than half of respondents understood the meaning of ‘best before’ dates. Tesco head of food waste, Mark Little, explained that customers often assess fruits and vegetables based on appearance rather than the date codes. The Food Standards Agency states that ‘best before’ is about quality, not safety.

Factuality Level: 10
Factuality Justification: The article provides accurate information about Tesco’s decision to remove ‘best before’ dates from fruit and vegetable packaging to reduce food waste, cites research by the National Federation of Women’s Institutes on consumer understanding of date labels, and includes a quote from Tesco head of food waste explaining the reasoning behind the change. It also clarifies the difference between ‘Best Before’ and ‘Use By’ dates according to the Food Standards Agency.
Noise Level: 3
Noise Justification: The article provides relevant information on Tesco’s decision to remove ‘best before’ dates from fruit and vegetable packaging to reduce food waste and highlights the confusion around these dates. It also includes a quote from Tesco head of food waste and references the National Federation of Women’s Institutes research. However, it could provide more context or data on the extent of the problem and potential impact of this change.
Financial Relevance: Yes
Financial Markets Impacted: Tesco
Financial Rating Justification: This article pertains to financial topics as it discusses the actions taken by a major supermarket, Tesco, which can impact their sales and operations. It also impacts financial markets indirectly by potentially affecting their stock prices and overall performance.
Presence Of Extreme Event: No
Nature Of Extreme Event: Other
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: Minor
Extreme Rating Justification: There is no extreme event mentioned in the article.

Reported publicly: www.retailsector.co.uk