Online groceries have a shorter shelf life – Which?

Online supermarkets stand accused of delivering groceries with a short shelf life, according to a new survey by Which?

The supermarkets have reacted angrily to the research, claiming that their staff are  told to pick the freshest items available for internet customers.

The BBC reports that researchers from the consumer group bought 10 items online and in store from Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Waitrose. 

According to Which?:

"Online grocery shopping might save you from traipsing around a busy supermarket, but you may have to eat your food sooner than if you shop in the store."

The supermarkets are not impressed with the results of the survey, saying that the sample is far too small to draw any conclusions from.

According to Asda’s Dominic Burch:

"We think the research by Which? into use by dates is seriously flawed. They only shopped once in each store and once online, and even then the difference they found was marginal.”

"It's daft to think that every online retailer in the land is deliberately trying to give their online customers a worse deal than those who shop in store,"

Which? defended the survey though, saying it was only meant to produce a snapshot, and that the results back up anecdotal evidence from grocery shoppers. 

A previous Which? report from March this year found about 60% of Asda and Sainsbury's shoppers thought online groceries were not as fresh as those bought offline.

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