Use By and Best Before Dates
The date of minimum durability, or ‘Best before’ date, is the date until which a foodstuff retains its specific properties e.g., taste, aroma, appearance, any specific qualities which relate to the product, vitamin content etc. when the product has been stored appropriately and the package unopened.
‘Best before’ date is used for food products such as canned, dried, ambient, frozen foods etc. Many foods that are past their ‘Best before’ date may be safe to eat, but their quality may have deteriorated.
In the case of foods, which from a microbiological point of view, are highly perishable and are therefore likely after a short period to constitute an immediate danger to human health, the date of minimum durability must be replaced by the ‘Use by’ date. The ‘Use by’ is the date up until which a food may be used safely i.e., consumed, cooked or processed, once it has been stored correctly. After the ‘Use by’ date a food is deemed unsafe in accordance with article 14(2) of Regulation EC No. 178/2002 and cannot be sold.
Typically, a ‘Use by’ date is used for fresh, ready-to-eat and chilled foods such as yogurt, milk, meat, unpasteurised fruit juices etc.
An exception to this is raw, shell eggs which require a ‘Best before’ date as set out in Regulation (EC) No. 589/2008 as regards marketing standards for eggs.