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Supermarkets will soon be using secret codes to show how fresh fruit and vegetables are, replacing the "best before" dates typically used. The new system is an effort to reduce waste.

Which? revealed that many stores are already using different codes to indicate when items are "best before". According to the consumer group, Asda and Tesco will start using codes with a letter and a number, where the letter represents a month, and the number represents the day of the month.

For example, A represents January, B February, C March and so on. A product with code C5 will be fresh until March 5.

Sainsbury's will use a different code. It starts with J and ends with S, which means the best-before date of an item with the code J0910S bought at Sainsbury's is October 9.

Morrisons shoppers will see their products have a code that uses the first letter of the month, followed by a number. For example, a product with the code S12 has a best-before date of September 12.

Though, Which? noted that customers should "bear in mind that food is usually perfectly edible after its best before or sell by date - it should be fine to eat if it looks and smells OK".

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On the other hand, it explained that "food with a use-by date, such as pre-cut fruit, must be eaten by midnight of its expiry date, or it could be unsafe."

In other supermarket news, Which? also recently revealed what the cheapest supermarket is. According to the group, Aldi dominated the ranks again in February with a basket of 89 goods costing £161.56, £55.46 less than the most expensive supermarket, Waitrose.

Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK, Julie Ashfield, said: "These findings show that shoppers don't need to travel abroad to make real savings on their weekly shop.

"With Aldi topping the Which? charts once again, UK households can stretch their budgets further every week - and even save enough over time to treat themselves to a holiday."