M&S removes ‘Use By’ dates on fresh milk
Marks & Spencer has removed ‘Use By’ dates across its M&S Select Farms British and organic fresh milk as part of its commitment to halve food waste by 2030 and reach net zero by 2040.
The change will see ‘Use By’ dates on fresh milk being replaced with ‘Best Before’ dates.
M&S has become the first retailer to offer ‘Best Before’ labelling on fully recyclable milk bottles following its removal of coloured plastic caps on milk earlier this year.
The retailer said a combination of improved shelf life and the quality of milk in recent years means customers can use their judgement before throwing away milk which may be too good to waste. According to WRAP, UK homes are estimated to waste over 490 million pints of milk a year.
Victoria McKenzie-Gould, director of corporate affairs at M&S, said: “Since we launched Plan A in 2007, we’ve been taking action on our roadmap to net zero and on the issues that matter most to our customers. It’s never a job done but over the past year our colleagues have done a fantastic job – from being first to market on higher welfare chicken to removing 75m units of plastic packaging.
“We know tackling food waste is a priority for our customers and we’re confident that these small changes to the packaging of our RSPCA Assured fresh milk, will make a big difference – as seen when we led the way in the removal of best before dates on our fruit and vegetables.”
M&S is aiming to achieve a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030, with 100% of edible surplus to be redistributed by 2025 as part of its strategy to reach net zero
