Timing game using nose begins in UK

UK supermarkets are phasing out expiration dates on a range of perishable items in favor of good old-fashioned shoppers’ judgment. All of the grocers made commitments to cutting food waste along with their announcements on label policy changes

Asda, Co-Op, Morrisons, Waitrose, Tesco Plc and Marks & Spencer Group Plc have all announced a total or partial scrapping of their traditional “best before” and “use by” dates on certain products, in some cases shifting to scannable codes that store staff can monitor to cull expired items.

But while the retailers have sought to spin the change in policy as an environmentally conscious step, the shift comes against a darker backdrop in the UK, where media outlets have begun suggesting that inflation-stretched Britons should consider consuming expired food items.