Tesco worker shares fruit and veg code to look out for to bag freshest greens

07 February 2023 , 09:39

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The codes have a hidden meaning many of us don't know (stock photo) (Image: Bloomberg via Getty Images)

If you've ever bought fruit and veg from Tesco, you may have noticed that the packaging sometimes comes with a small code printed on the front, usually comprised of one letter and one or two numbers.

And while the meaning of this code is a mystery to most of us, Tesco employees are told what it means during staff training - and one of them has now spilled the beans online in a viral video.

According to the employee, the code is meant to replace traditional use-by and sell-by dates and tells you how fresh your produce is and how long it's supposed to last.

The unnamed employee, who posts under the username @financegirlbargains, shared a clip that showed her zooming in on a packet of Tesco mangetout with the code A3, and another with the code A6.

And she wrote: "Tesco staff training taught me the higher the number, the fresher the product."

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People in the comments were also quick to expand on her explanation, as they said that the codes are direct stand-ins for traditional dates, as the letter represents the month, and the number represents the day.

So in her video, one packet had a sell-by date of January 3, and the other of January 6.

One said: "A - January, B - February, C - March, D - April, and so on and so on and then the numbers are the days of the month."

While another added: "Letter means the month, so D is April. The number is the day. So D8 is the 8th of April."

Another commenter also pointed out that higher numbers don't always mean fresher produce, as a packet with a code of B3 would be fresher than A31, as the former would be February 3 while the latter would be January 31.

They wrote: "Well no … because, for example, B3 is better than A31 since A31 = Jan 31st but B3 = Feb 3rd."

The code was designed to remove the need for traditional sell-by dates, as people may be tempted to throw out fruit and veg that is past the date printed on the packaging, even if the food itself is still edible.

And while some hailed the decision to try and cut down on food waste, others said they want to see traditional dates put back on their produce.

One person wrote: "The aim is to reduce food waste by changing the month to letters."

But another disagreed, stating: "Can't they put the dates back on? It's impossible to know what needs using up quicker once you get them home."

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