Dairy UK addresses sell by dates in new guide

Dairy UK has published guidance for milk and dairy product manufacturers which will provide clear and unambiguous advice to consumers on date marking. The guidance builds on work by government agency Defra, which covers all foods and provides specific application for dairy products. The guidance aims to reduce food wastage in the home without compromising on food safety and quality.

Ed Komorowski, Dairy UK technical director explains: “It’s important that we do this for the dairy industry, because our products are found in more than 98% of homes. They are therefore an integral part of most people’s lives. So clearly we need to ensure that they are appropriately date marked. In addition, to make sure that they are kept in the best possible condition, our guidance also makes recommendations around the optimum storage conditions for both the unopened and open products.”

WRAP’s consumer food waste prevention programme manager, Andrew Parry says: “Improvements in the clarity and consistency of date labelling and storage guidance can help consumers reduce the amount of food thrown away. We welcome this guidance and hope this will enable the dairy sector to build on the good progress already made”

WRAP’s research shows that there is a need for more information on how long dairy products can be consumed after opening, and what can be frozen. A Decision Tree for freezing guidance, developed by WRAP, in conjunction with the FSA, has also been included as an appendix to the Dairy UK publication.