Do the Dates Printed on Food Actually Mean Anything?

you’re wasting more food than you need to

You know what dates I’m talking about, right?

The best by, use by, and of course, the classic combination — best if used by — for those who like to be more liberal with their word count.

These phrases can haunt you when you find that forgotten package of food in the back of your pantry. Wiping the dust off, you see the date has inevitably passed, but what’s this mean?

Is the food unsafe to eat and should be tossed?

Or, are the contents still alright as long as you give it a sniff test?

Well, spoiler alert these dates don’t indicate spoilage (did you see what I did there?)!

These are NOT expiration dates

Some way, somehow the dates printed on food have become synonymous with an expiration date.

It’s become a common misconception that if a food passes the date printed on it, it’s gone bad and should be tossed. But this is only true for one food — infant formula — meaning it’s the exception rather than the rule.

For any other food product, these dates signify a decline in a food’s quality. This could mean anything from a slight change in texture to a loss of flavor — two things that won’t even come close to making you sick.

Food products can be fine to eat days, weeks, or even months after these dates. So, let’s go over what the most common phrases actually mean:

Best by– Indicates when the food will be of highest quality. Not a safety date.
Use by– Before this date the food will be at peak quality and after the date there may be a decline in quality. Only a safety date for infant formula.
Best if used by– refer to use by
Sell by– This is really meant to be used by retailers to help with inventory management. Not a safety date.
Freeze by– If this date is reached, you should freeze the food to maintain peak quality. Not a safety date.

I know all the different phrases can make it seem like there’s a big difference in what each date means, but really, they all signify that the food has declined to a lower quality than the initial product.

For the most part, food manufacturers use these dates to alert you that this isn’t the original quality of their product. That way, if you’re a repeat customer you’ll still go back to buy more. They aren’t in danger of losing you.

How do I tell if a food has gone bad?

So, if you can’t use these dates to know if food has spoiled, how are you supposed to tell?

Well… use your senses.

Give the food a good sniff. Does it smell right or like it has gone bad?

Look the food over for any sign of microbial growth. If you see any visible signs of bacteria, yeast, or mold then toss it.

Remember, for most of history we didn’t have dates printed on food and simply relied on common sense.

Out of curiosity, did you think these dates were for safety (rather than quality)?

Let me know in the comments.

With all the different phrases printed on food, it’s become pretty confusing to understand what these dates actually mean, which has a huge impact on the amount of food waste we generate.

Of course, you should never eat food that appears to be spoiled, but there’s a big difference between spoiled food and food that has simply passed its best by date.

And that’s what I hope has become obvious here.