The ultimate guide to use-by and best-before dates

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Fresh produce and packaged foods are marked with one of two dates: a use-by date or a best-before date. Confusion between the dates and their meanings is one of the reasons why many people throw food out too early or without needing to. So, the next time you’re staring into the fridge or pantry and wondering, ‘Is it safe to eat?’, this guide will help answer the question.

Discover the different labels and what the dates mean for your food safety and reducing food waste.

Understanding use-by dates

This is the date mark to keep an eye on. A use-by date signifies when a food must be consumed by for health and safety reasons. It is marked on highly perishable foods, such as ready-made meals, and items that are classified as high risk upon expiration. Always stick to any use-by date, as expired foods may cause harm or illness, including food poisoning, if eaten. Foods beyond their use-by dates should not be cooked, frozen or consumed and should be thrown away.

Things to remember about use-by dates:

Check high-risk foods daily for signs of expiration.
Food may smell and look fine despite its use-by date, however food-poisoning bacteria can still be present. Keep to a ‘better safe than sorry’ philosophy.
Always follow storage instructions to ensure a food reaches its use-by date. Incorrect storage may mean an item expires before even reaching its date.

Understanding best-before dates

A best-before date is used to indicate quality rather than safety. It calls out the period up until a food is at the end of its peak quality. Best-before dates are found on food items such as fruits and vegetables, dried pasta, rice, tinned and canned foods. It may not be unsafe to eat a food past its best-before date; you may simply notice that some of its quality, flavour or texture has been lost.

Things to remember about best-before dates:

It appears on foods with a generally longer shelf life and on a range of items, including frozen, fresh, tinned, canned and dried products.
As with use-by dates, following a food’s storage instructions makes sure an item retains its quality for as long as possible.
Foods with a shelf life of more than two years may not be marked with a best-before date.
Some foods, such as eggs or baked goods, are ideally eaten as close to the best-before date as possible. You may only get one or two days past the date.

How to beat the expiration dates

Knowing how to extend the shelf life of a food item is one of the keys to preventing unnecessary food wastage. Use the tips below to make your food last longer and stop it from going into the bin before its time is up.

Not going to use the chicken breast or steak in the fridge? Freeze it. Frozen meats can be kept for up to 6 months. Consume within 24 hours once defrosted.
Check an egg’s freshness by placing it in a glass of water. Fresh eggs should lay flat or stand upright at the bottom of the glass. An egg that floats to the top is old.
Stewing is a great way to use up older whole fruits, such as apples and stone fruit. Vegetables can be braised or roasted and kept in airtight containers in the fridge.
Vegetables and fruits can also be blended, pureed or mashed, portioned in ice-cube trays and frozen. Veggie blocks are great for pasta sauces, soups or smoothies.