In 2016 the WI passed a resolution to call on supermarkets to reduce food waste.  Our member Manuela Andami has pointed out an article in The Times (Tuesday 22nd May 2018) reporting that WI campaigning has persuaded Tesco to remove all ‘best before’ labels from their own brand fresh fruit and vegetables – click here for the full article.  Here is an extract …

Tesco signalled the end of the “best before” date yesterday as it became the first big supermarket to remove the guidance from products in an effort to cut food waste.

From today shoppers will no longer find date labels on most of the supermarket’s own-brand fruit and vegetable packets, including apples, potatoes, tomatoes, lemons and onions. In total, almost 70 fresh product lines will no longer show a date.

The store said that it would review customer feedback on the change and, if it proved popular, it would expand the policy to other products, meaning that dates could disappear from tinned fruit and vegetables, packets of cereal, dried foods, biscuits and crisps……………

Tesco’s decision to move away from “best before” dates follows intense lobbying by the Women’s Institute. Polling by the group found that less than half of respondents understood the meaning of “best before” labels while more than 70 per cent understood “use by” dates……….

Sometimes we vote for a resolution but don’t always see the results – here is an example of the influence the WI at the national level.

To find out more about how the National Federation is progressing this campaign and how everyone can help click here.