Major supermarket to make a big change to essential product – will you spot the difference?

ANOTHER major supermarket has said that it will make a big change to a grocery staple.

Aldi is the latest shop to ditch colour codes on milk packaging in a bid to help the environment.

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Shoppers should look out for new milk packaging in some Aldi stores[/caption]

Instead of the traditional green lids on milk bottles that signal that you’re buying semi-skimmed, the caps will be made of clear plastic.

An initial trial of the new packaging, which is easier to recycle, will start next month at stores in Cheshire, Manchester and Liverpool.

If it’s successful it could be rolled to all of Aldi’s 950 stores across the country.

The move could save an extra 60 tonnes a year of recycled High-Density Polythene (rHDPE) going to waste.

Richard Gorman, Aldi’s packaging boss, said: “We know it’s becoming increasingly important to our customers that their everyday products are environmentally-friendly, and we are constantly reviewing ways to become a more sustainable supermarket.

“By trialling clear milk caps we are making our milk bottles easier to recycle, so they can be turned back into new packaging.”

Waitrose announced in June that that was making a change to milk packaging, swapping coloured for clear plastic, becoming the first supermarket in the UK to do it.

Bother supermarkets are working with milk supplier Muller to make the changes.

Usually you’ll see a red cap for skimmed milk, blue for whole and green for semi-skimmed milk.

The change at Waitrose left some shoppers confused over what type of milk they were buying.

Meanwhile several supermarkets have ditched use-by dates on milk, instead asking shoppers to do a “sniff test”.

Morrisons announced the change at the start of the year followed by Co-op in April.

Milk is the third most wasted food and drink product in the UK, after potatoes and bread, with around 490million pints chucked annually, according to recycling charity Wrap.

Best before dates indicate that a product will have a better quality if eaten before that day, but use by means food might not be safe to eat after that point.

The date will be the same, but Morrisons is asking customers not to automatically throw their milk away and instead check whether it’s gone off first.

Research shows milk is often fine to be used days after the use-by date, the supermarket said.

And M&S ditched best before dates on more than 300 fruit and veg products last month.