The difference between ‘use-by’, ‘best-before’, ‘sell-by’ and ‘display until’ instructions on labels isn’t always clear. Here’s a useful guide to what these confusing terms mean.
Use-by
Use-by is a common label on fresh products such as dairy products, ready-prepared salads, meat and fish and means exactly what it says; you need to use the product before the given date. Some people ignore use-by dates, preferring to use the ‘sniff test’, smelling the product to check if it’s still okay. This isn’t advisable however as sometimes a product may look and smell fresh, but bacteria could be multiplying so eating something after the use-by date could result in food poisoning.
Sometimes food that has a use-by date can be frozen, in which case the date becomes irrelevant but you should read the packaging to check the particular freezing instructions. Always freeze products the day you purchase them and don’t freeze something that has already gone beyond its use-by date.
Products may have extra storage instructions such as ‘Once opened eat within 24 hours’. If this is the case, you should use whichever date comes first. So for example, if you open a product today and its use-by date is in one week’s time, you should still use it within 24 hours if the packaging tells you to. And, of course, it’s important to always store the food correctly so check if it should be kept in the refrigerator.
Best-before
A best-before date tends to be used on products that have a long shelf-life such as biscuits, crisps, frozen goods and tinned products. Occasionally, some fresh products may have a best-before date. If the best-before date has passed, it doesn’t mean that the food is harmful but it does mean the flavour or texture of the food could have deteriorated. To enjoy ingredients at their best you should aim to eat them before the best-before date but often a packet of biscuits or jar of pickle will taste just as good even if the best-before date has passed. This is therefore an area where you can use your own judgement and rather than wasting food that has just gone beyond the date, try some and see if it’s still good to eat.
Display Until and Sell-By
These instructions are less common and are intended for retailers rather than consumers. They are often used on products with a short shelf-life and mean shops can ensure they sell goods in time to give consumers chance to use it at home before the product goes off. They aren’t required by law so some retailers might use them whereas others won’t.
A display until or sell-by date is usually accompanied by a best-before date and you should always refer to this when deciding whether a product is still safe to eat. Of course, even if a product is still within its best-before or use-by date, always use common sense when deciding if something is safe to eat. If it looks or smells iffy, don’t risk it.