M&S scraps use by dates on milk and tells shoppers to decide for themselves

Marks & Spencer has scrapped “use by” dates on most of its milk and has instead told shoppers to use their judgment to decide if it is good enough to drink.

In a move the retailer said it hopes will prevent millions of pints being poured down the sink, RSPCA Assured Select Farms British milk and organic fresh milk sold by M&S will now carry “best before” labelling instead.

“Use by” dates are used to inform customers whether or not a product is safe to consume, while “best before” dates relate to food quality.

But M&S said a combination of improved shelf life and a better overall quality of milk meant customers should use the “use their judgement” before throwing away milk which may still be fine to consume even if past its date.

Many foods are safe to eat after their “best before” date but may not taste as good, according to official guidance from the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

It comes after Morrisons swapped “use by” dates for “best before” last year and told shoppers to “use the sniff test” to determine whether milk was still safe to drink.

However, the supermarket was criticised by campaigners who said the new advice was insensitive to people with impaired smell and taste.

Milk is the third-most wasted food in Britain – behind potatoes and bread – according to food waste charity Wrap, with around 490 million pints (worth about £270m) poured away every year.

A string of supermarkets have ditched “use by” dates from yoghurts, cheeses, fruits and vegetables in recent years in an effort to cut down on food waste.

M&S said the change is part of its wider pledge to halve the amount of food waste created by its business by 2030.