Aldi removes ‘use by’ date on milk

Supermarket Aldi is removing the ‘use by’ date on its milk, telling shoppers to use the “sniff test” instead, in what it said was a sustainability move to cut food waste.

The discount supermarket giant will still have a ‘best before’ date on its milk, but will remind customers that it can still be safe to drink after this date, as long as it doesn’t smell bad.

“Aldi will encourage shoppers to perform a ‘sniff test’ to determine whether their milk is still fine to consume,” it said.

Liz Fox, Sustainability Director at Aldi UK, said Aldi is always working to become more sustainable.

“We are constantly working to be a more sustainable retailer and we are dedicated to preventing food waste wherever we can, both in our stores and helping customers throw away less food at home,” she said.

“We hope shoppers embrace this change and look, smell, and taste their milk to see if it’s still fine to use, so together we can reduce the effect food waste has on the environment.”

Aldi is the UK’s fourth-largest supermarket, having seen a surge in new customers looking for cheaper products amid the cost-of-living crisis. According to market research firm Kantar, it holds about 10.2 per cent of the UK grocery market and has been taking share from traditional market leaders in recent months.

Aldi has already removed Best Before dates from around 60 fresh fruit and vegetable lines – including apples and pears, citrus fruits, potatoes, carrots and onions. The retailer also recently introduced clear caps on its milk bottles to improve recyclability.

Waste reduction charity WRAP says 300,000 tonnes of still drinkable milk are wasted every year in the UK. That would be equal to a around pint of milk wasted per month for every UK adult.