Extra 10% off ‘past best-before’ groceries code – save money and help fight food waste - EXPIRED

If you're looking to stock the cupboards with non-perishable foods (think tins and jars), did you know you don't have to hunt for yellow stickers in the supermarket? You can go online to Approved Food and get ‘past best-before’ groceries delivered to your door in bulk...

Remember: ‘Best-before’ is not the same as ‘use-by’ – more on the difference below – so with this deal you'll stop perfectly edible food going to waste, and hopefully save money as well.

To bag the extra 10% discount we’ve blagged for MoneySavers, go online to clearance site Approved Food* and enter the code 10OFFAF until 11.59pm on Tue 27 Aug. The discount code box will be only be displayed after you've entered a delivery address, just before you pay. The code's valid on everything - including all the past-best-before (but safe-to-eat) groceries, which already tend to be cheaper than in supermarkets.

In most cases I’ve seen, food is a few weeks past its best rather than months or years, though not everything at Approved Food is actually out of date. It usually displays the best-before date online for each product - so you'll know if what you're buying is out of date. Delivery's also reduced for the month of August, and starts at £3 (norm £5.99) for up to 25kg, but varies depending on where you live and increases with the weight of your order. 

There's a £22.50 minimum spend before the code can be applied, so it's only MoneySaving if you buy in bulk. I would suggest rather than replacing your normal supermarket shop, it's a way you can stockpile specific items you regularly buy if you spot them here at a heavily reduced price. This means it's a bit of a game, and you'll need to do your own research to find the best deals for you.

Examples of savings we found on Tue 20 Aug:

  • Napolina chopped tomatoes, 390g for 45p with our code. Next cheapest we found, 75p per carton at Sainsbury's.
  • Heinz beans, 345g for 62p (or two for £1.08, 54p each) with our code. Next cheapest we found, 55p at Poundstretcher or 60p at Asda.
  • Homepride pasta bake cooking sauce, 485g for 80p (or two for £1.35, 68p each). Next cheapest we found, £1.25 each at Asda.
  • Maxi Muscle Promax high protein bar in 'Millionaire Shortbread' flavour, 60g for 62p (or 20 for £6.30, 32p each). Next cheapest we found, 12 for £14.74 (£1.23 each) at Amazon.
  • Barilla wholewheat fusilli pasta, 500g for 80p with our code. Next cheapest we found, £1 at Ocado.
  • WaterWipes baby wipes, 60 wipes for £1.61 with our code. Next cheapest we found, £2 at Morrisons and Superdrug.

What’s the difference between ‘best-before’ and ‘use-by’ dates?

While 'use-by' dates are an important health warning, 'best-before' is just a manufacturer's guidance of quality. It's perfectly legal to sell goods beyond a best-before date. However, as there's no hard-and-fast rule on how far beyond a best before it's still safe to eat products, you need to make that call yourself. Look and smell are often the best indicators. Of course, you shouldn’t use anything you think has gone bad – but equally, don’t throw it out just because the best-before date has passed (see more on ‘best-before’ vs ‘use-by’ dates).

What MoneySavers say...

Even though Approved Food has a Trustpilot score of 8.3/10, feedback on Approved Food is mixed. Some suggest bargains have recently become harder to find, and others say the postage costs make it difficult to save much money. See the MSE Forum for more feedback (good and bad), but do bear in mind that bad news usually travels faster and further.

For more grocery shop hacks, see the full MSE guide to Cheap Supermarket Shopping.

Do you use food past its best-before date? What's the best bargain you've found from Approved Food or elsewhere? Let me know in the comments below, or on Twitter.