Best before
From Free net encyclopedia
Best before is sometimes indicated on food and drink wrappers, followed by a date, and is intended to indicate the date before which the supplier intended the food should be consumed. The term use by is similarly used to indicate the date by which the item will have outlived its shelf life, and is intended to ensure that customers will not unwittingly purchase or eat stale food. Sometimes the packaging process involves using pre-printed labels, making it impractical to write the best before date in a clearly visible location. In this case, a term like best before see bottom or best before see lid might be printed on the label and the date marked in a different location as indicated.
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Use By
Generally, foods that have a use by date written on the packaging must not be eaten after it has expired. This is because such foods usually go off quickly and may be injurious to health if spoiled. It is also important to follow storage instructions carefully for these foods (for example, product must be refigerated).
Foods that have a best before date are usually safe to eat after the date has passed, although they are likely to have detiorated either in flavour, texture, appearance or nutrition. An important exception is eggs, which should not be eaten after the best before date, due to the possible proliferation of salmonella bacteria.
Sell by / Display Until
These dates are intended to help keep track of the stock in stores. Food that has passed its sell by or display until date, but is still within its use by / best before will still be edible, assuming it has been stored correctly. It is common practice in large stores to throw away such food, as it makes the stock control process easier. It also reduces the risk of customers buying food without looking at the date, only to find out the next day that they cannot use it.
Mark Downs
It is also common for food approaching the use by date to be marked down for quick sale, with greater reductions the closer to the use by date it gets.