The Differences Between Product Dating on Foods and Expiration Dates

Did you know that “Best If Used By”, “Sell By”, and expiration dates don’t all mean the same thing? Confusion regarding these dates often leads to food waste…educate yourself and save yourself some money and help prevent food waste! Prevention of food waste is not only good for your wallet, it’s also good for the environment. Knowledge is power, my friends!

With the exception of infant formula, Federal regulations do not require product dating on food products. Dates may be voluntarily added to food products by companies as long as they are not misleading to the consumer and comply with the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). “Best If Used By” dating provides consumers with a time frame for a product’s peak quality and/or flavor and are not required by federal law.
“Sell By” distinguishes how long a store should display a product for sale for inventory management purposes.
A “Use By” date is another indicator of peak quality and not safety date on products aside from infant formula.

When determining the dates for these products, factors such as characteristics of the food (acidity, amount of water in the product, etc), the type of packing in which the product is packaged, as well as temperature and length of time the product is held for sales and distribution, which all has an effect on how long a product will be at its peak quality. After the date has passed, the quality of perishable products may decline, though if these products have been handled properly they should still be safe to eat. This does not apply to infant formula, which should be discarded after the date on the package has been passed.

Once the date on the package has passed, it is in the consumer’s best interest to assess the product quality before eating to rule out any potential signs of spoilage. Spoiled foods will develop off flavors, odors, or textures due to the presence of naturally occurring spoilage bacteria.