Mother reveals hack for picking the freshest produce in the supermarket by finding secret code retailers use on food

A mother has shared the secret behind the recent cryptic codes appearing on food packaging in supermarkets, with customers hailing the advice as ‘amazing.’

Gemma Bird, 42, from Essex, is also known as ‘Money Mum,’ and regularly shares money-saving tips while encouraging fellow parents to participate 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 going on to launch an Instagram account to help others save cash. 

Bird’s latest money-saving tip, posted to her account @moneymumofficial on May 13, has been applauded by supermarket shoppers as ‘amazing’ – as the mother explains the mystery behind the new codes printed on produce packaging. 

The video, which offers viewers a ‘hack’ for buying fresher food, sees the mother documenting a trip to the chilled aisle of her local Tesco superstore. 

Bird’s latest money-saving tip has been applauded by supermarket shoppers as ‘amazing’ – as the mother explains the mystery behind the new codes printed on produce packaging

Picking up a bunch of Tesco-brand leeks and asparagus, both sealed in plastic packaging, Bird points to a code printed in the location the Best Before Date usually appears in.

With the Best Before Date nowhere to be seen, the money-saving expert explains that the cryptic code is now used to indicate when food is due to expire. 

The product is stamped with “F22,” with the mother decoding this as “F” being the month the item is set to expire by, while “22” is the actual day.

With “A” meant to represent the first month of the year, January, in this case, the leeks are set to expire by June 22. 

Bird believes that the new codes can allow for less food waste, while providing shoppers with the opportunity to purchase fresher food.

Over 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 reason behind the new replacement for Best Before Dates. 

One person wrote, ‘I didn’t know this wondered what those numbers where for thank you,’ while another said, ‘Always the best advice.’

A third commented: ‘This is amazing! Was getting so annoyed not knowing how old the veg was when it doesn’t have a date on it!’

With the Best Before Date nowhere to be seen, the money-saving expert explains that the new code printed on food packaging is now used to indicate when products are due to expire

Over 400 people shared their thoughts in the comments, with some once-baffled shoppers finally able to decipher the mystery behind the codes

One person asked: ‘Does anybody know why they changed a simple logical system to something where you have to count through the alphabet? Or is that only me standing there doing it.’

Another responded: ‘It’s designed to stop people throwing perfectly good food away because it reaches a date published on the packet. The codes are meant to as an indicator to staff for stock rotation, not the customer.’

A second confirmed: ‘These dates are to help with stock rotation and reduce waste. Too many people do not use food because of a date on the pack. Fresh produce can last months, especially if stored correctly!’

Sharing their own method for detecting ‘fresher’ produce, one person wrote: ‘I always pick the stuff from underneath/the back. It’s usually fresher.’

Meanwhile, shoppers are being fooled by misleading supermarket signs and labels – such as ‘Made in Britain’ stamps – that are dressing up imported food as British.