This isn’t just…

[Stella Tortoise]

… best before, this is M&S best before.

I’m probably wrong here but I’m struggling to see how.

First off, I do know that best before is a guideline not a hard and fast rule, secondly I never buy reduced food near or on it’s date.

I called into the shop for a few bits for tonight, 30th Sept. Looking at the strawberries I noted that the label said best before 30th Sept. In my mind that means that they were at their best up to close of business yesterday, 29th Sept.
A young chap was nearby putting stuff on shelves so I started asking him how this was defined, he butted in to tell me that they would be reduced later if unsold.
I did make my point more clearly, he just couldn’t see it.

M&S pride themselves on being a quality food retailer so shouldn’t they take more car about how they word this stuff?

I know, first world problems.

[21TonyK]

I get your point, before a date or before and including the date but all is explained here...

https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/best-before...

[Stella Tortoise]

21TonyK said:

I get your point, before a date or before and including the date but all is explained here...

https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/best-before...

I did read that before posting.

I referred to the guideline aspect in my OP and, more importantly, that M&S promote themselves as a quality retailer, the headline from your link as below:

Best before dates are about quality

[Silvanus]

For most products I completely ignore the best before dates and I'm happy to buy stickered items if the item looks ok. The use buy date is a bit different and I pay closer attention to this, but may go over the date by a few days depending on the product.

[Dingu]

Get a grip OP, honestly.

[Ham_and_Jam]

The shelf life of a lot of fruit and veg tends to be be influenced greatly by how they have been stored more than the best before date.

Have a look / feel / sniff.

[21TonyK]

Stella Tortoise said:

21TonyK said:

I get your point, before a date or before and including the date but all is explained here...

https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/best-before...

I did read that before posting.

I referred to the guideline aspect in my OP and, more importantly, that M&S promote themselves as a quality retailer, the headline from your link as below:

Best before dates are about quality

And user that headline....

"After the best before date listed on a product, the food will be safe to eat but may not be at its best."

Is that not the question you are asking? Or simply think M&S should make that clearer?

[Stella Tortoise]

21TonyK said:

Stella Tortoise said:

21TonyK said:

I get your point, before a date or before and including the date but all is explained here...

https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/best-before...

I did read that before posting.

I referred to the guideline aspect in my OP and, more importantly, that M&S promote themselves as a quality retailer, the headline from your link as below:

Best before dates are about quality

And user that headline....

"After the best before date listed on a product, the food will be safe to eat but may not be at its best."

Is that not the question you are asking? Or simply think M&S should make that clearer?

My, very minor, gripe is that best before 30th Sept means that by the 30th (today) the food is being described as past it’s best, it was at it’s best up until yesterday. It’s not a food thing really nor a shop thing maybe, it’s M&S telling me that the strawberries were ‘best’ yesterday but not today. I’d prefer to pay their prices for food at it’s best.

It’s English or maths, M&S can’t change that.

[Silvanus]

Stella Tortoise said:

21TonyK said:

Stella Tortoise said:

21TonyK said:

I get your point, before a date or before and including the date but all is explained here...

https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/best-before...

I did read that before posting.

I referred to the guideline aspect in my OP and, more importantly, that M&S promote themselves as a quality retailer, the headline from your link as below:

Best before dates are about quality

And user that headline....

"After the best before date listed on a product, the food will be safe to eat but may not be at its best."

Is that not the question you are asking? Or simply think M&S should make that clearer?

My, very minor, gripe is that best before 30th Sept means that by the 30th (today) the food is being described as past it’s best, it was at it’s best up until yesterday. It’s not a food thing really nor a shop thing maybe, it’s M&S telling me that the strawberries were ‘best’ yesterday but not today. I’d prefer to pay their prices for food at it’s best.

It’s English or maths, M&S can’t change that.

It's pretty easy to look, examine and check the date before you put it in your shopping basket. You even mentioned they were about to put the strawberries in the marked down section. You are making an issue about nothin. Just rummage around towards the back or underneath an you will find items with the longest date, it's not hard.

[Stella Tortoise]

Silvanus said:

It's pretty easy to look, examine and check the date before you put it in your shopping basket. You even mentioned they were about to put the strawberries in the marked down section. You are making an issue about nothin. Just rummage around towards the back or underneath an you will find items with the longest date, it's not hard.

Indeed:



Back to my OP, does best yesterday scream quality to you?

[Bill]

I take it as best before midnight on the 30th...







Or is that another can of worms??!?!

[Dingu]

Stella Tortoise said:

Silvanus said:

It's pretty easy to look, examine and check the date before you put it in your shopping basket. You even mentioned they were about to put the strawberries in the marked down section. You are making an issue about nothin. Just rummage around towards the back or underneath an you will find items with the longest date, it's not hard.

Indeed:



Back to my OP, does best yesterday scream quality to you?

If date is the sole arbiter of quality why are you in M&S anyway, by your logic Lidl produce is better if it has a longer date. I’ll say it again. Get a grip, or better yet a life.

Taking it even more to its conclusion, you want M&S to throw out perfectly good food because you are a man child and can’t decide what to pick up yourself?

[Sporky]

I've always understood it as shorthand for "best before end of".

My advice to the OP is that snowflakes shouldn't shop in M&S. Or anywhere else. Just munch straight from the gutter where there's no BB date.

[Stella Tortoise]

Sporky said:

I've always understood it as shorthand for "best before end of".

My advice to the OP is that snowflakes shouldn't shop in M&S. Or anywhere else. Just munch straight from the gutter where there's no BB date.

Aldi?

https://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Article/2022/09/...

[Sporky]

I asked my wife, Lady Bertie McHobnobs, and she agreed with you that M&S should be better than this. She has phoned the CEO (they play horse-hockey together) and you will no doubt be delighted to hear that you are now banned for life from M&S, Ocado, John Lewis, and various other quality establishments for being frightfully gauche.

[Dingu]

Stella Tortoise said:

Aldi?

https://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Article/2022/09/...

Done purely because of people like you.

[Stella Tortoise]

Bill said:

I take it as best before midnight on the 30th...







Or is that another can of worms??!?!

I’d take that as that the product was best before the 31st.

[57Ford]

I spotted another potential can of worms - do you have a fridge in your shopping bag and in the car? If not, they’re going to be sub-optimal by the time you get them home.
Bloody cowboys this M&S outfit!

[Dingu]

Also, unless you are a Michelin Star chef whatever you do with them will lower the quality too.

[Wills2]

Dingu said:

If date is the sole arbiter of quality why are you in M&S anyway, by your logic Lidl produce is better if it has a longer date. I’ll say it again. Get a grip, or better yet a life.

Taking it even more to its conclusion, you want M&S to throw out perfectly good food because you are a man child and can’t decide what to pick up yourself?

I am amazed at what some people think is worthy of discussion, but perhaps there is no one for the OP to moan to at home or they have simply stopped listening.

But as the OP mentioned it, I've just come back from M&S (full of zombies that refuse to move or acknowledge there is anyone else in the store and the car park was a comedy of bad ignorant driving) but I digress, you have to have your wits about you in there as short dated product is a thing with them, unless I'm eating that day it won't be bought but I've never noticed any difference in quality whether it has 1 day left or a week.