Major U.K. supermarket chains Marks and Spencer and Morrisons have announced that they will remove either “use by” or “best before” dates from milk and from fruit and vegetable products. This action followed the lead of Waitrose, a competing chain that previously removed dates on packaged fruit and vegetables. The intent is to reduce waste with consumers discarding an estimated 4.5 million metric tons of edible foods annually in the U.K.

Food retailers and now regulators recognize that consumers are capable of using their own judgment to determine whether foods are edible. There is considerable evidence to show that “best before” dates on eggs subject to refrigeration are conservative.  Although there may be some deterioration in Haugh units, possible not perceived by consumers, eggs are safe to consume beyond limits currently imposed by states, providing they have been handled and stored under refrigeration.