Use this simple hack to decode the best before dates on fruit and vegetables to make sure you get the freshest produce.
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A carrot doesn’t have a best before date when it’s harvested from the ground, so why do they in a shop?
Shops essentially print the dates as a way to tell when food should get a yellow sticker added, if it’s not sold in time.
But, shoppers used these dates as gospel, and millions of pounds of food is thrown away each year.
Some supermarkets removed the dates from fresh produce, such as fruit, vegetables, and milk, to reduce food waste.
As consumers, we then need to use our own judgment (the sniff test, etc.) to work out whether the food is still edible.
But when you want to buy something, how do you know it will last and stay as fresh as you need it?
Hack to decipher best before dates
Instead of printing the date, supermarkets, like Tesco, have instead come up with a code for staff to use.
Using codes helps supermarkets in a few ways.
First, it keeps the food fresh for us when we buy it. Nobody wants to buy something that’s gone off!
Second, it makes it easier for the staff to find out which food they need to sell first – what should remain on the shelves or be yellow-stickered or removed from sale.
There is an easy way to decode them!
Here are a few examples – you now get a code with a letter and number:
The codes are pretty easy to understand once you know how.
There’s a letter for each month: “A” for January, “B” for February, and so on, until “L” for December.
Then there’s a number that tells you the day.
So, “D24” would mean the 24th of April and “F11” is 11th of June.
Even if you don’t work at a supermarket, knowing this code can be a neat little trick.
Next time you’re shopping, have a look at the codes and choose the freshest options.
This is a simple way to make sure you’re getting the best value for your money.
Naomi knows the burden of living on very little and became debt free by following her own money saving tips and tricks. She is an expert on saving money at the supermarket and side hustles.
