Well, according to one savvy mum named Gemma Bird, there’s a super simple trick for buying fresh food that’ll last longer – and it’s all to do with a little-known code on the packet.
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In a clip posted to Instagram (@moneymumofficial), the money whizz explains the easy-to-follow hack using a packet of leeks from Tesco.
She shows the clear plastic packaging to the camera, which features the code F22.
“The F is the month,” she explains.
“So June is F, as that is month six.
“January would be an A.
“Then the number is the day in that month.”
Gemma captioned the post: “Double tap if you didn’t know this? Tag a friend.
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“Fresh food last longer!
“So what this means is A is for January B February and so on the other is the date!!
“Like save this for later.”
The video quickly garnered hundreds of responses – and people’s minds were blown.
“Omg I’ve been wondering what those mean,” wrote one.
“Why can’t they just put the damn month on or have a sign somewhere?”
A second enthused: “Amazing – love this!”
A third confirmed: “This is the best before date. I work at Tesco.
“The person posting this is right with how our best before dates are displayed.”
Meanwhile, a fourth noted: “I’ve been wondering what those bloody letters were.”
Another commented: “This is great. Why would I pay the same for something that’s 6 days old compared to 1 day old?
“I want the freshest I can get.”
A further added: “Didn’t know this!! Learn something new every day.”
And one more chimed in: “Brilliant @moneymumofficial I never knew this.”