• Advertise
  • Customer Support
  • Find a Retailer
  • eMagazine
SUBSCRIBE
IRISH COUNTRY MAGAZINE
  • Inside the issue
  • Irish Made
    • Irish Made Awards
  • Style
  • Food
  • Sustainability
  • Beauty
    • BIAB Nails
    • Hair
    • Makeup
    • Christmas
    • Interiors
    • Health & Fitness
    • Skincare
  • Win
  • Health
  • More
    • Walk in her Shoes
    • Gift
    • Culture
    • The Invisible Struggle
    • Weddings
    • Family
    • Gardening
    • Travel
  • Customer Support
No Result
View All Result
IRISH COUNTRY MAGAZINE
  • Inside the issue
  • Irish Made
    • Irish Made Awards
  • Style
  • Food
  • Sustainability
  • Beauty
    • BIAB Nails
    • Hair
    • Makeup
    • Christmas
    • Interiors
    • Health & Fitness
    • Skincare
  • Win
  • Health
  • More
    • Walk in her Shoes
    • Gift
    • Culture
    • The Invisible Struggle
    • Weddings
    • Family
    • Gardening
    • Travel
  • Customer Support
No Result
View All Result
Irish Country Magazine
No Result
View All Result

A UK shop is getting rid of the expiry date on milk, and here’s why

Saoirse Hanley by Saoirse Hanley
January 12, 2022
A A

Dairy image, NDC

Should we trust a ‘sniff test’ to see if milk is gone off?

Dairy image, NDC

UK supermarket Morrisons recently announced that it would be removing the use-by dates on the majority of the milk it sells. Instead, customers will be urged to do a ‘sniff test’ to tell if the milk has gone off.  Their reasoning? Waste prevention. Analysis by the University of Edinburgh suggests 116m tonnes of dairy products are wasted globally. One reason for this is the date on the bottle cap. How many of us have thrown away milk that tasted fine, but the expiry date made us nervous to consume it?

Words matter

The perishable food we buy generally comes with either a use-by or best before date on the packaging. These terms seem interchangeable but actually mean two different things. A best-before date indicates the food will be at peak quality before that date. After this time, the texture or taste may change for the worse. The use-by date is more important to heed. This indicates the period in which the food is edible and likely to be safe. When it comes to dairy products, they usually feature the latter.

ADVERTISEMENT

According to the National Dairy Council here in Ireland, these dates can be crucial aspects of the packaging. “As milk is a fresh product, it has a use-by date which is a guide to minimise any food safety risk associated with micro-organism growth e.g. bacteria spoilage.” They say for retailers in Ireland to follow Morrison’s lead, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) would need to approve the move.

Though dairy sniff tests are likely a far off concept on Emerald Isles still, the NDC says food waste is firmly on the EU’s radar. “As part of the EU Farm to Fork strategy, the European Commission are exploring the area of food waste reduction and a review of food labelling on best before or use by dates is just one element of this discussion.”

For now, your local SuperValu will still stock milk that gently reminds you of the dairy’s expiry date. But you can practice your sniff testing skills to maybe keep the bottle an extra day, and get ready for a potential use-by-date-less world!

READ MORE

The Invisible Struggle of OCD: Irish voices share their stories
Featured

The Invisible Struggle of OCD: Irish voices share their stories

June 13, 2025
Irish Made Awards: Meet the makers passionate about sustainability
Irish Made

Irish Made Awards: Meet the makers passionate about sustainability

June 12, 2025
carrot cake overnight oats
Food

Recipe: Carrot cake overnight oats

June 11, 2025
niall harbison
Featured

Q&A with Niall Harbison – the Irish man saving street dogs in Thailand

June 4, 2025
irish documentaries
Culture

Brilliant Irish documentaries to put on your must-watch list

June 3, 2025
day two
Fashion

Gorgeous ‘day two’ bridal looks for Irish and destination weddings

May 30, 2025
Load More
ADVERTISEMENT
IRISH COUNTRY MAGAZINE

© 2022 Irish Country Magazine

IRISH COUNTRY MAGAZINE

  • Terms of service
  • Privacy statement
  • Advertise
  • eMagazine
  • Download gift card
  • Customer Support
  • Cookie Settings
  • Find a Retailer

Follow Us

  • Inside the issue
  • Irish Made
    • Irish Made Awards
  • Style
  • Food
  • Sustainability
  • Beauty
    • BIAB Nails
    • Hair
    • Makeup
    • Christmas
    • Interiors
    • Health & Fitness
    • Skincare
  • Win
  • Health
  • More
    • Walk in her Shoes
    • Gift
    • Culture
    • The Invisible Struggle
    • Weddings
    • Family
    • Gardening
    • Travel
  • Customer Support
SUBSCRIBE
No Result
View All Result

© 2022 Irish Country Magazine