M&S rotten fruit now no BBF date

[OnTheBoardwalk]

I, like every else no doubt, have always taken best before dates for what they are. You see the date, have a sniff then crack on

since M&S have taken the dates off I’ve noticed all my fruit shop has been rotten and end of life. I had a delivery Saturday of 4 apples that usually last forever however they were rotten round the stem today. I've no idea when they were packaged up

i'm going to not buy M&S fruit/veg due to this latest initiative and go back to my own smell tests on BBF dates from other suppliers. Much less waste

is it just me?

@Discovereads that’s shocking saying you need to return mouldy goods delivered online back to the store

so today I got Ocado strawberries BBE date 17th that are mouldy, grapes 19th not too bad and pink lady apples with no date that are unlikely to make it through the night

i used to not always bother but I’m going to ask for a refund of every dodgy item I get now

Ocado is really good about refunds. I’ve never had an issue getting one. So, yes ask for everything you can’t eat.

Sorry if this has been covered but if fresh produce went off before the sell by date expired it was possible to return it and get a refund.
What now? Do shops rely on receipts?
How long should it last when you get it home? Even flowers have a ‘guaranteed for 7 days’ sticker.

Just to add, I’m already guilty of taking items from the back (newer stock) - O guess more people will be doing the same…

To the PP having difficulty contacting them, Waitrose deal effectively with complaints if you email customer services, in my experience.

I always have looked for the longest dates, unless I knew I was eating the food very soon. Supermarkets should just give bigger discounts on short dates sooner to clear stock if they don't like it.

Just been to asda. Think we've worked it out. They all said i29 or i23. I is 9th letter. Sept 9th month

Just make sure you complain and request a refund. I’ve never had a problem getting a refund for poor produce from any supermarket, particularly online. It’s annoying but they’ll soon stop if enough people complain and demand refunds.

Ring them for a refund. I do this with my Tesco delivery and they always refund straight away.

Interesting @Laurama91 . Thank you.

Have to wait until next month see if the letter changes. Im sure there has to be a way for staff to know

I've started asking for refunds for every last little thing too. I always bought M&S fruit because it lasted so much longer than other brands but now it goes mouldy overnight or is mouldy when it arrives. On the other hand, the "perfectly ripe" stuff is now hard and unripe, and goes mouldy before it ever ripens. The potatoes have been shocking, arriving with sprouts, going green, damage from from being dug up, brown soft spots and black dried up holes in them (lenticel rot).

I have noticed that the Ocado receipt does still have a use by date for fruit and veg, including M&S.

If there's rotten produce on the shelves then that is a training issue. The staff clearly aren't rotating stock and checking it properly. However if you're shopping in store you don't need sell by dates on stuff. You can just by the look and feel how fresh something is.

no you can't. My blueberries looked fine yesterday. Today they were mouldy.

However if you're shopping in store you don't need sell by dates on stuff. You can just by the look and feel how fresh something is.

Not if it's packaged in plastic you can't.

I'm fed up with trying to buy fruit & vegetables. Nearly everything from the supermarkets is either rotten or else rock-hard and likely to rot before it's ripe. Even vegetables from the greengrocers' stalls in the market, which are less likely to rot because they aren't damp, taste of nothing. I can't find fresh produce anywhere. I've grown some of my own but have limited space.

And then the powers that be wonder why people don't eat enough fresh foods!

I have noticed that the Ocado receipt does still have a use by date for fruit and veg, including M&S.

yeah I’ve noticed that @chesirecat99 but I don’t believe them. The receipt says the apples (with no BBD) are ok till weds but they are on their way out already

Crikes that could be it -@Laurama91 - will be interesting to see if that works going forward so TY

But why code it so their customers are supposed to be unable to decipher anything. Seems its just driving customers away.

Will you still be going to M&S though? Where will you get your steak cut chips from if you don't?

I really hope so too. Who wants to buy something that's looks ok but goes off in a few days.

Theyre probably more bothered about taking our money than food waste because I bet most people will say nothing

True, I've had stuff go mouldy before the Ocado dates but it does at least mean that they can't quibble about a refund, @OnTheBoardwalk!

I am so disappointed with this.

i bought pack of Toms (£2.60) Thurs night from Waitrose & yesterday opened them & they are like furry little balls! So annoyed, I then had to go in the car using more fuel to take them back.

the woman (although lovely) said they’re not putting any dates on now (I just thought I got a rogue pack with no date) she said I will now have to visually inspect all produce before but I g it & I’ll have no way of knowing which are the new packs. Utterly ridiculous.

Please complain to head office about the changes and how it's actually increasing food waste in the home.

Supermarkets did have an effective way of dealing with food waste caused by best before dates. It was donated to local charities e.g. kids breakfast clubs, women's refuges, animal shelters etc. Now that fruit and veg no longer has best before dates on it, those charities are likely seeing a significant dip in their donations in addition to yourselves having a load of mouldy fruit and veg.

You are right @Jijithecat This is all about profit. most people won’t buy fruit if it is short dated but if it goes off quickly many will just cut their losses and not complain. I read awhile ago somewhere that supermarkets are also lobbying to extend the bbd on meat and fish, again they are citing food waste.

My mum works at a charity which takes donated food from Costco, I’ll ask her if anything has changed.

M&S still have dates on, they're just hidden in the jumbled up code under what used to be the display until date. I had to look at a few before it clicked. That said some of the fresh fruit I've looked at in m&s has a hidden date of tomorrow/2days time but is still mouldy/disintegrating when you look at the actual fruit. I don't think it's being stored correctly. I'm having the same issue elsewhere too.