To say no Morrisons now is not a good time to introduce a sniff test

[Fiftythreepercent]

BBC News reporting today that Morrisons is removing use by dates from its milk in favour of best before and encouraging consumers to take a sniff test when deciding whether to use the milk or not.

Tremendous timing Morrisons since I’ve not been able to smell more than 20% of anything since Covid in August. Left on gas? Nope. Chopping onions? Not a whiff. Gone off milk. Not a hope in hell.

Me and half the country?

@oviraptor21 he does sometimes leave it for me but I think he actually dislikes just knowing it’s there. Maybe he’s worried I’ll put it in his drinks? Such a waste though. He does this with all foodstuff.

@DontTellThemYourNamePike ha!

Maybe this is the government's relacement for PCR testing? Milk a bit whiffy means you're fine to go to work.

@oviraptor21

Must be something wrong with your fridge (or the supermarket fridge) if milk is turning before the use by date. Mill from the major supermarkets usually lasts a week or so past the use by I've found.

Yes, same here.

As someone said on the other thread, if you've lost your sense of taste and smell, it doesn't matter if the milk is off, you won't notice and it won't do you any harm.

Plus you'll see if there's lumps floating in your tea or coffee.

What it does is change what they can legally do with the milk once it hits the best before, so it's a really positive step towards less waste.

Anything that is past it's use by is illegal to sell for consumption

I think a lot of dates on food/drinks could and should be scrapped as whole generations now think something should be chucked wasted when perfectly edible, however dairy products and meat still need them in my opinion.

@oviraptor21

Must be something wrong with your fridge (or the supermarket fridge) if milk is turning before the use by date. Mill from the major supermarkets usually lasts a week or so past the use by I've found.

We’re the same here. Our DC (13 and 8) know that often the milk and yogurts we have are out of date but perfectly fine (I appreciate that begs the question of why I don’t buy any until we’ve used up the old lot so we are back in credit, date-wise but that’s another thread!) 🙃

I get milk in glass bottles from the milkman. No dates on my milk. It's been fine and actually I never even sniffed it.

I get it three times a week and it maybe lasts 4/5 days max. It's fine.

Also they are still going to have a date on, it will just say best before rather than use by.

I've not yet had Covid (touch wood) and my sense of smell is fine, so I will volunteer to open the bottles of milk on the Morrisons shelf and tell all the other shoppers whether they are OK or not.

I’ve noticed that milk I buy from the corner shop will turn before it’s date or definitely by it, whereas supermarket milk has probably been stored more strictly and carefully.

Because the general public waste thousands of tonnes of produce every year from their obsession with fucking sell by dates.

We're dairy farmers - if it's off enough to give you the shits, believe me, you will know about it.

I use the “drop” test: if you make a cup of tea with boiling water and put milk into it, if it’s on the turn, the milk sinks (and if it’s off you get curdled milk) it only wastes one teabag and you don’t have to sniff it!

@BrightYellowDaffodil

There’s still going to be a best before date, I don’t see the issue whatsoever.

Exactly, Morrisons are - admirably - trying to address the issue of horrendous food waste and of people throwing out food that’s perfectly fine.

Use it up to the Best Before if it bothers you, but for the rest of us we’ll be able to use our common sense (not least been use milk is usually absolutely fine beyond the use by/best before date as long as it’s been stored properly).

If Morrisons actually!wanted to DO something, they'd stop their ENORMOUS waste of food in store & instead of putting ENORMOUS amounts of food in the rubbish, they'd actually do what they claim to do and give it to people who need it.

It's not health & safety, they're unethical and would prefer to 'waste' it so people buy a newer product in store. Their staff aren't even allowed to take it home/eat it, it must be binned.

Changing to 'best before' is virtue signalling at best.

@GraciousPiglet

I get milk in glass bottles from the milkman. No dates on my milk. It's been fine and actually I never even sniffed it.

I get it three times a week and it maybe lasts 4/5 days max. It's fine.

Also they are still going to have a date on, it will just say best before rather than use by.

Really? I get milk delivered and there is date on every bottle. It’s stamped on the foil lid. Sometimes difficult to see but it’s definitely there.

And I find the opposite in the summer, especially with skimmed milk. It goes off much quicker due to the time it’s left out in the heat. Have to sniff every bottle and ended up throwing a couple away. But for me it’s worth it as I’d much rather throw a couple of pints away over the summer than have to buy milk in plastic containers.

@Heruka

I’ve noticed that milk I buy from the corner shop will turn before it’s date or definitely by it, whereas supermarket milk has probably been stored more strictly and carefully.

This I agree with.

It's a great idea. There's still a best before date as a guideline. The removal of the use by date and replacement with best before will now mean that Morrisons will be able to donate any excess milk to charities who collect food e.g. Community Fridges, food banks that have facilities for fresh food etc. Previously they would have been legally required to dispose of it. Now there should be less waste and more people should benefit.

For anyone with milk going off before it's date, check your fridge temperature. It should be below 5 degrees.

Oh and if you have too much milk it freezes really well.

Anything that helps less waste is fine by me!

Yabu. The same date will be on it for the best before as was on it for the use by.

I think it’s a good idea. They aren’t removing a date altogether. So if you can’t smell or taste anything at all then you can go by the best before. Or get someone else to have a sniff?

I told dp I will now have to go to Tesco on my way home from work which is a bit out of my way rather than Morrisons along route. Will buy my milk and things elsewhere as a result of this. Personally think it's stupid because if your on the last day or day after with milk you generally smell it anyway to check if its OK.

Do people really poor good milk down the drain just because it past use before date. That’s stupid. Morrisons are just advocating for common sense.

@TigerDroveAgain

I’m torn on this:

• in my experience milk usually is off by the time you get to the use by date
• but use by dates in general are so super cautious that they just lead to loads of waste
• DH lost his sense of smell a few years ago so can’t smell test anything (including a car fire, didn’t realise until the flames were coming through the floor )

Never known any fresh milk form any retailer to go bad at least 3 days after the use by date. You are storing it wrong.

@FortniteBoysMum why do you think this means you can no longer drink the milk? Nothing has changed.

@FortniteBoysMum

I told dp I will now have to go to Tesco on my way home from work which is a bit out of my way rather than Morrisons along route. Will buy my milk and things elsewhere as a result of this. Personally think it's stupid because if your on the last day or day after with milk you generally smell it anyway to check if its OK.

I don’t understand your point. By your own admission you already do what Morrison’s is recommending.

This whole thing has just reconfirmed what many of us already knew. The Brits love a good moan.