Asda Leads UK Supermarkets in Fresh Produce Shelf Life
Asda ranked as the UK supermarket providing the longest shelf life for fresh produce in a mystery shopper study conducted by Which?
A study conducted by the consumer advocacy organization Which? in August 2026 identified Asda as the UK supermarket providing the longest shelf life for fresh and perishable produce. The research utilized 12 mystery shoppers who placed identical online orders for 29 items across six major retailers to compare freshness.
Waitrose ranked worst among the group with an average shelf life of 7.7 days, showing particularly poor results for pork sausages, scones, and bread. Tesco followed with an average of 8.8 days, while Sainsbury's recorded an average of 10.2 days.
Waitrose attributed its low ranking to the removal of preservatives from certain products to satisfy customer demand for simpler ingredients. In response to the findings, Tesco highlighted its Freshness Guarantee for collection and home shopping orders, and Ocado promoted its Fresh+ life guarantee. Asda, Morrisons, and Sainsbury's did not provide official responses to the study.
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