Asda changes its yogurts range to reduce food waste

Asda has declared a significant transformation to over half of its own-brand yogurts by withdrawing Use By dates and substituting them with Best Before dates to enable customers to combat food waste in the home.

*The transformation pursues data from climate action NGO WRAP which states that half of all yogurt wasted in UK households is in unopened packages. The report also indicated that 70 percent of all the yogurt strained in the home is due to the product ‘not being used in time,’ with the date label mentioned as the reason.

The Asda Technical Manager, Microbiologist, and Product Manager have been showing robust food safety and quality evaluations to ensure that current recipes in those 28 lines, which sell around 455,000 a week, complete it safe for those products to change to ‘Best Before’ labeling.

Over the next few weeks, consumers will see the label change on packs such as Asda natural yogurt, Greek Yoghurt, Extra Special Strawberry, and Hazelnut.

Paul Gillow, Vice President – of Fresh & Frozen Foods at Asda, said: “We are constantly looking at ways we can help customers reduce food waste in the home, and with research from WRAP saying 54,000 tonnes of edible yogurt is thrown away unnecessarily each year we are hopeful this change will both make a big difference to the environment and save customers money at the same time.”

Catherine David, Director of Collaboration & Change, WRAP, said: “WRAP is thrilled to see our partner Asda make these changes on yogurts – which will help reduce food waste in our homes. Wasting food feeds climate change and costs us money – with the average family spending £700 a year on good food, which ends up in the bin. Our research shows that applying the appropriate date label to products like yogurts can help reduce the amount of good food thrown in the bin.

“Check out Love Food Hate Waste for information on producing the most of the food you buy – for example, providing your fridge is below 5oC to keep your food fresher for longer.”

The shift follows Asda’s removal of Best Before dates on almost 250 fresh fruit and vegetable products late last year, including citrus fruits, potatoes, cauliflowers, and carrots.

Globally, food waste significantly contributes to climate change, accounting for 8% of total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). In the UK alone, food waste is responsible for an estimated 36 million tonnes of GHG emissions every year, according to WRAP**.

*Data from WRAP’s household food and drink waste: a product focus report

** WRAP Waste & Resources Action Programme