Aldi scraps fruit and veg best before dates

Aldi has today (2 September) announced plans to remove best before dates from around 60 of its own brand products to help tackle food waste in British homes.

By the end of the year, Britain’s fifth largest supermarket will remove best before dates from around 60 fresh fruit and veg lines, including apples and pears, citrus fruits, potatoes, carrots and onions, which could help households to save on food waste each year, it said.

The move forms part of Aldi’s commitment to reduce food waste by 20 per cent by 2025 and halve it by 2030, the retailer said in a press release.

As part of its food waste reduction programme, the supermarket has partnered with Neighbourly to donate 700,000 meals during the summer holidays.

It has also partnered with surplus food app Too Good To Go in some stores, which sees products that are approaching their use-by date collated into ‘Magic Bags’ which customers can buy for just £3.30 each via the Too Good To Go app, before collecting them from the store.

Liz Fox, corporate responsibility director at Aldi UK, said: “One of the reasons we are the UK’s cheapest supermarket is because we cut down on waste wherever we see it.

“And by getting rid of these dates on packaging, we can help customers get even better value by reducing the amount of food that goes to waste at home.

“This latest step, together with our partnerships with Neighbourly and Too Good To Go, is all part of our efforts to provide affordable, sustainable and responsible products for all our customers.”