Shoppers angry as supermarket giant follows Tesco and Morrisons and issues label ban on 500 products

Earlier today one of the UK's most popular supermarket announced plans to ban labels on 500 of its products. It is following in the footsteps of Morrisons and M&S - who have already made a similar move.

Waitrose will remove the “best before” dates from September, on items including packaged fruit and vegetables. The move is expected to eliminate millions of baskets worth of food waste, the retailer said.

It comes after rival Marks & Spencer announced it will axe "best before" dates from more than 300 fruit and vegetable products last month. Morrisons announced plans in January to remove "use by" dates on milk and encourage consumers to use a "sniff test" instead.

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Shoppers have been quick to react to the decision, with many angry about it. On Facebook, Margaret Ngsc said: "When supermarkets make such decisions, have they ever thought about people suffering from temp or perm loss of smell sense because of the stupid covid 19? I didnt feel the imminence until i became a victim. I was totally helpless when I tried to smell a bottle of milk the other day...."

Tracey Garton said: "I'm not fussed about bb4 dates after I've bought stuff as I use common sense on whether or not it's gone off....BUT I am bothered about buying expensive stuff that's not fresh. Put a picked/processed/packed date on them then at least I can choose the freshest products to buy."

Gail Hudson wote: "People often only have the time to shop one day a week, whether it’s visiting a store or online shopping. I would like to think my groceries are fresh and will last well into the coming week. These shops will be passing on food that is well passed it best,