Lidl makes huge change to everyday products across all its supermarket stores

08 December 2023 , 14:28

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Lidl is changing how it packages dairy products (Image: Danny Rigg/Liverpool Echo)

Lidl is getting rid of "use by" dates on its yoghurt and fresh milk products to help customers reduce food waste.

"Use by" dates are being changed to "best before" meaning shoppers will need to sniff the item to check if it is still ok to consume. "Best before" dates are about the quality of food, while "use by" dates are used to show when a product is no longer safe to eat.

Lidl has already started updating its milk packaging in supermarkets across England and Wales, while customers can expect to see the change on yoghurts from early 2024. Richard Inglis, Head of Buying at Lidl GB, said: "At Lidl, we know that a lot of perfectly good milk and yoghurt is being thrown away because of ‘use by’ dates.

"It therefore makes total sense to us to make the switch to ‘best before’ so that shoppers can use their own judgement on whether their milk or yoghurt is good to consume. We’ve got a long record of making positive change to reduce food waste, and this latest step builds on our commitment to helping households tackle food waste at home."

Marks and Spencer and Aldi were the last major supermarkets to also axe "use by" dates on dairy products, having both released separate statements in June this year. The supermarket chain now joinsMorrisonswho swapped use by dates for best before dates on their own brand milk last year.

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At the same time, Co-Op also ditched the use by dates on its own-brand yoghurts. Supermarkets are also swapping coloured milk bottle tops with clear alternatives to help shoppers recycle.

Shoppers normally use blue, green and red lids to see what type of milk they are buying - blue represents full-fat milk, green semi-skimmed, and red skimmed. But supermarkets have been ditching these in favour of clear caps which are easier to recycle.

Tesco announced the move in August this year, while Asda and Aldi announced each announced they will be changing their milk bottle caps in their respective stores back in June and May this year. This came after posh rival Waitrose confirmed it was ditching red, blue and green milk tops last year.

Levi Winchester