Co-op has made the decision to scrap all use-by dates on its own-brand yoghurts in a bid to cut back on food waste.
After recent research from recycling charity Wrap has revealed that half of yoghurts are binned unopened, largely due to the fact they were not eaten before the recommended use-by date written on the label, the supermarket retailer has said that the label on yoghurt packets and containers will instead be replaced by a best-before date as guidance.
Co-op says that six million people in the UK eat a yoghurt every day, and the move to remove use-by dates is a first for the industry.
It will apply to Co-op’s entire range of own-brand yoghurts.
Nick Cornwell – Head of Technical Food at the Co-op – said that yoghurt can be safe to eat if it is stored unopened in a fridge even after the date mark printed on it, and explained that the retailer has made the move to best-before dates to “help reduce food waste”.
ADVERTISEMENT
The difference between use-by labels and best-before labels are that use-by dates are the dates until which perishable food can be cooked and consumed safely, whereas best-before dates relates to when the product should be consumed to get the best quality, taste, and texture.
Co-op has made the decision to scrap all use-by dates on its own-brand yoghurts / Credit: Co-op
The Food Standards Agency says it is up to manufacturers to decide whether to apply a use-by or best-before date on their products, and it often depends on the risk related to the food items and how it’s made.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Data from Wrap has suggested that 70% of food waste happens within the home setting,” Nick Cornwell continued.
“It’s our ambition to help our members and customers to make small changes that will collectively make a big impact and combat unnecessary food waste [as] controlling food waste is not only beneficial for managing household budgets, it also has an environmental benefit and will ultimately help reduce carbon emissions.”
Catherine David of Wrap said the charity was “delighted” that Co-op was taking the move, adding: “Wasting food feeds climate change and costs money.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Applying a best-before date helps give people the confidence to use their judgment to eat beyond a best-before date and use more of the yoghurt they buy – protecting the planet and their pockets.”
Police appeal after thieves steal 800 barrels of Guinness from HGVs in Cheshire
Emily Sergeant
Police in Cheshire are appealing for information after more than 800 barrels of Guinness were stolen.
Cheshire Police explained that, at around 7:45pm on Monday 31 August, a lorry entered an industrial estate in the Aston Lane area of Runcorn. The lorry is then connected to a HGV trailer containing barrels of Guinness, before leaving the site at 7:55pm and driving in the direction of the Mersey Gateway.
Then, at 9:12pm, a second lorry arrived at the same site in a different lorry and connected it to another trailer containing barrels of Guinness. The lorry left the site at around 9:30pm, in the direction of Rainhill and Watkinson Way.
The estimated total value of all the items stolen is approximately £205,000, police confirmed.
According to police, the trailers are described as white Tri-Axle Curtain side trailers with GXO company branding on curtains and rear doors.
The trailers also have unique ID numbers on their rear doors in the top left corner – with the numbers of stolen trucks being DL736 or DL542.
Both HGVs were believed to have been driven by men. The first man is described as white with a short dark beard and wearing a beanie hat, and the second believed to be wearing a cap.
Officers are now appealing to anyone with any information, or dashcam and video footage taken from around the time of the incident, to come forward.
“It is famously said that ‘Guinness is good for you’, but that is only the case when it has been bought and paid for,” commented Detective Sergeant McClatchy, from Cheshire Police.
“It is with this in mind that we have wasted no time in launching enquires to identify those responsible for the theft of £115,000 worth Guinness and the two trailers that housed the barrels.
“We will settle for nothing less than the full recovery of all the items stolen.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Cheshire Police via its website, or by calling 101 and using incident reference number IML-2408641.
Featured Image – Volker Repke (via Unsplash)
News
Police seize convoy of supercars after reports of dangerous driving on M62 near Rochdale
Emily Sergeant
A convoy of supercars has been seized by police following reports of dangerous driving on the M66 and M62 near Rochdale.
On Wednesday, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) says its dedicated Roads Policing Unit (RPU) were made aware that a group of individuals driving high-powered vehicles – such as Lamborghinis and Mercedes G-Wagons – were ‘driving dangerously’ at speed, weaving across lanes, wheel spinning, and slowing down to speeds of around 17mph on the motorway.
After finding the convoy of vehicles on the M62, police were able to stop two of Lamborghinis as they were coming off the motorway.
Officers then used specialist tactics to bring the remaining vehicles to a stop in Rochdale.
As a result of police intervention, GMP was able to seize five Lamborghinis and a Mercedes G-Wagon under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002, and on top of this, the drivers of the offending vehicles were prosecuted for a number of driving offences.
Police have seized a convoy of supercars after reports of dangerous driving on the M62 near Rochdale / Credit: GMP | Wikimedia Commons
Chief Inspector Danny Kabal, from GMP’s Transport Policing and Crime command, said the force takes road safety ‘very seriously’.
“We will not tolerate careless, inconsiderate, anti-social or dangerous driving on our roads,” he began.
“Recent changes to Section 59 of the Police Reform Act now enables us to seize vehicles without having to issue a warning first. As we intensify our road safety operations and enforcement campaigns, we will use this legislative change as part of our daily business.
“People who think it is acceptable to use our roads as a racetrack need to pay attention to this result and take it as a warning – they will have their vehicles seized and they will be prosecuted, and where proportionate to do so, they will also be arrested.”
Emily Sergeant -
22nd April 2022 
