The Co-op is set to make a major packaging change to their own dairy products which will provide customers with an important message.
All of their own-brand milk cartons will now come with a label that reminds customers on the importance of food waste and how they can manage it. New labels will be added to the supermarket's milk cartons that will remind them to freeze their milk before it passes its best before date.
The supermarket chain also hopes that the new label will help customers with the current cost of living crisis and help households amidst soaring grocery bills and inflation.
It comes after recent data has found that more than £150 million worth of milk is wasted every year and that 90% of that waste comes from households, reports Nottinghamshire Live.
The Co-op hopes that the introduction of their new label will encourage customers to store the milk in their freezer in a bid to help cut back on 70,000 tonnes of milk wasted annually. Rolling out on Co-op branded milk products from September 2022, the new label will read: "“Don’t waste me, freeze me, in a suitable, clean container, then defrost in the fridge, use within 24 hours.”
According to the Co-op, two-thirds of UK adults don’t freeze milk at home, and 31% didn’t know you even could, reports The Liverpool Echo. A further 34%, of those who were unaware you could store milk in the freezer, have said that they will now start freezing the dairy product.
Milk is best within one month of freezing and for larger bottles it’s best to decant them into a container. When it’s ready to be used, you can defrost it in the fridge to thaw fully and then use the defrosted milk within 24 hours.
Catherine Dishington, environment and sustainability manager at Co-op, said: “We’re committed to reducing our impact on the planet and we’re trying to help our customers and members make small changes that collectively, can make an impact.
“Freezing food is one of the easiest ways to make the most out of your weekly shop and prevent food wastage but not everyone knows that it’s perfectly safe to freeze milk. We hope that by having this message on pack it will not only save customers some money, it should also help them to throw away less.”
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