A mum has shared the secret behind the recent cryptic codes appearing on food packaging in supermarkets, with shoppers hailing the advice as ‘amazing’.
Gemma Bird, 42, from Essex, is also known as ‘Money Mum’ and regularly shares money-saving tips and encourages fellow parents to take part in ‘No Spend’ and ‘Make Money’ days.
The mother-of-two published her first book, Money Mum Official: Save Yourself Happy, in 2022, which became a Sunday Times Bestseller, before launching an Instagram account to help others save money.
Bird’s latest money-saving tip, posted to her account @moneymumofficial on May 13, was praised as ‘amazing’ by supermarket shoppers – as the mum explains the mystery behind the new codes printed on product packaging.
In the video, which offers viewers a ‘hack’ to help them buy fresher food, the mum documents a trip to the chilled aisle of her local Tesco superstore.
As he picks up a bunch of Tesco-brand leeks and asparagus, both sealed in plastic packaging, Bird points to a code printed where the best-before date usually appears.
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With the expiration date nowhere to be seen, the money-saving expert explains that the cryptic code is now used to indicate when food is about to expire.
The product is stamped “F22”, with the mother decoding this as “F”, the month the item expires, while “22” is the actual day.
With “A” intended to indicate the first month of the year, January, the leek in this case will expire on June 22.
Bird believes the new codes could reduce food waste, while giving shoppers the opportunity to buy fresher food.
More than 400 people shared their thoughts in the comments, with some once-baffled shoppers finally able to decipher the mystery behind the codes, while others explained the reasoning behind the new replacement of best-before dates.
One wrote: ‘I didn’t know this and was wondering what those numbers were for, thanks,’ while another said: ‘Always the best advice.’
A third commented: ‘This is amazing! I got so annoyed because I didn’t know how old the vegetables were even though there was no date on them!’
One person asked, “Does anyone know why they turned a simple logic system into something that requires counting through the alphabet?” Or am I the only one doing it.’
Another replied: ‘It’s to stop people throwing away perfectly good food because it has reached a date stated on the packaging. The codes are intended as an indicator for stock rotation staff, not for the customer.”
A second confirmed: ‘These dates are to aid stock rotation and reduce waste. Too many people don’t consume food because of a date on the package. Fresh produce can last for months, especially if stored properly!’
Someone who shared his own method for detecting ‘fresher’ produce wrote: ‘I always pick the stuff from the bottom/back. It’s usually cooler.’
Meanwhile, consumers are being fooled by misleading signs and labels in supermarkets – such as ‘Made in Britain’ stamps – that dress up imported food as British.