Here's why one UK supermarket is removing the use-by dates on milk

Marks & Spencer is removing use-by dates from its fresh milk.

The supermarket will leave people guessing whether their dairy product is off or not in an attempt to curtail waste.

It is encouraging people to sniff milk instead of relying on labels, and is replacing use-by labels with a best-before date, which is an indicator of quality not safety.

Milk ranks as the third most wasted food in UK homes after potatoes and bread.

A typical household throws away 18 pints of milk a year, usually because the date has expired. This results in waste on an industrial scale, with 490m pints, worth £270m, being poured away, Catherine David of the sustainability charity Wrap, explained to the Guardian.

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“By changing to a best-before date, M&S is instantly helping its customers save money and cut waste by giving them more time to consume the milk they buy,” she said.

It is not the only product M&S has changed. Last year M&S removed best-before dates across more than 300 fruit and veg lines.

Meanwhile, last year Morrisons switched to best-before dates on its milk while the Co-op removed use-by dates from its own-brand yoghurt.

Sustainable kings.

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