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I’m a skint dad, the barcode secret means your groceries will always be fresh and will last way longer

Published on June 02, 2025 at 08:55 PM

SUPERMARKETS across the UK are changing the way we shop for fresh produce by removing “best before”; dates from fruit and vegetables.

This initiative aims to reduce food waste and encourage shoppers to use their own judgement when deciding if their .

Woman checking shopping list in frozen food aisle.
Shoppers have revealed how to understand the codes on packaging
Close-up of a product label for 3 white garlic bulbs, grown in China.
Supermarkets have got rid of expiry dates

The move is designed to help families save and lessen environmental impact, making it a positive step for both shoppers and the planet.

However, not everyone feels confident about this change, with some shoppers expressing concerns about not knowing when their fruit and vegetables are most likely to expire.

For those unsure, a TikTok user known as ‘skintdad’ has shared a clever hack to decode the hidden freshness codes on produce packaging.

In a video shared with their 3,871 followers, they explained how to identify which items will stay fresher for longer.

The caption read: “Use this simple hack to decode the best before dates on fruit and vegetables to make sure you get the freshest produce.”;

The account revealed that instead of traditional “best before”; dates, supermarkets in the UK now use a coded system on packaging.

These codes rely on letters that correspond to months of the year.

They explained: “So A was January, B February, C March, D April and so on.

“So you know that if you see something that says D27 that stands for April 27th.

“You can use this to work out whether something is fresh or if you want to potentially leave it on the shelf and get something else.”;

For those hesitant about the removal of “best before”; dates, this simple hack could be a game-changer when it comes to picking the freshest produce.

The video, originally shared last year, has since garnered 124.3k views, 1,951 likes, and 161 comments.

Illustration of a chart decoding fruit and vegetable best-before date codes.
The codes have been explained in a TikTok video

Many viewers appreciated the tip, with one commenting: “Oh great tip. Thanks.”;

Another asked: “What month is E11? On onions?”; to which they replied: “11th May. But you’ll generally find they last a lot longer.”;

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