M&S removes 'best before' of 300 fruit and vegetables to cut food waste

Marks & Spencer will remove the 'best before' date from hundreds of fresh products in a push to cut down on food waste in the home, the Mail on Sunday has revealed.

The measure concerns 85 percent of supermarkets that sell fresh produce.

Employees will instead use a code to ensure that quality and freshness is kept in the shelves.

The change, slated to take effect this week, will depend on whether customers are able to determine whether a product is edible due to the consumer's initial ruling.

The charity Wrap claims that potatoes are Britain's most wasted food, followed by bread and milk.

M&s wants to halve food waste from its products by 2030 from 2018 levels and to reallocate 100% of its surplus edible food by 2025.

Andrew Clollen, food technology director at M&S, said supermarkets 'should do all we can' to reduce the amount being thrown away.

Our teams and suppliers are working hard to provide fresh, tasty and responsibly produced products at good value for money, and we have to do everything possible to ensure nothing is thrown away.