Expiration, Use-By & Sell-By Dates: What Do They Really Mean?

Often people open up their refrigerators and cabinets to find foods that are beyond their sell-buy and use-buy dates. While food waste is a HUGE issue in our country, it is always better to be safe than sorry, and the following information should help to take some of the guesswork out of determining whether or not your food is safe to eat.

Dating is not required by US Federal law, with the exception of infant formula and baby foods which must be withdrawn by their expiration date.  For all other foods, except dairy products in some states, freshness dating is strictly voluntary on the part of manufacturers regulations.  Stores actually, are not legally required to remove outdated products from their shelves.

So what do these terms mean for consumers?

* Expiration Date:   If you have a product with an expired expiration date, best to throw it out.  While other dating terms are used as a basic guideline, this one is absolute.

*Best if Used-By and Use-By date:

“Use-By” or: Best if Used By” dates are a suggestion for when the food item will be at its best quality.  Food is generally safe if consumed past this date, but may have deteriorated in flavor, texture, or appearance.  “Use- By” dates are most often found on canned goods, dry goods, condiments, or other shelf stable items.

*Sell-By date:

Many fresh or prepared foods are labeled with a “Sell-By” date as a guide for how long the item should be displayed for sale before quality deteriorates.  Items are generally safe for consumption after this date, but may begin to lose flavor or eye appeal.  “Sell-By” dates are chosen with the assumption that the buyer may store or eat the item a few days after purchase.

*Guaranteed Fresh

This date is often used for perishable baked goods.  Beyond this date, freshness is no longer guaranteed,

Following are some guidelines according to the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service:

  • Milk is good for about a week after the “sell by” date

  • Eggs can keep for three to five weeks beyond the “sell by” date

  • Fresh chicken, turkey and ground meats should be cooked or frozen within two days

  • Fresh beef, pork and lamb should be cooked or frozen within three to five days

Cooking or freezing extends the amount of time a food will keep.  Use your eyes and nose too, to determine if foods are fresh, regardless of the date on the package.

So here are some food storage hints and tips:

  • Once opened, many of the dates become obsolete since the contents now become perishable. It is advisable to use food as quickly as possible after opening them.

  • Be sure to refrigerate leftovers in a covered container (not a can) and use within 3 to 5 days.

  • Some canned foods (like condiments and pickled foods) will have a longer shelf life if refrigerated. Most condiments will have a warning to refrigerate after opening on the label.

  • Whatever the expiration date, do not open or use cans that are bugling or oozing from the seams, or those that are heavily dented.

  • Most baking mixes contain fats which will become rancid with time and leaveners that lose their potency. Check the dates.

  • Bring food home quickly from the store and store it properly for maximum shelf life.

  • Use common sense and trust your vision and smell- if it looks and/or smells bad throw it out.

 

Have you ever thought about where all of the food goes that stores and restaurants can’t sell?

At Love Whole Foods, several times a month our team gathers our unsellable food for local food pantries to help feed the hungry in our community, and scraps from our Cafes are repurposed to feed local farm animals and for compost.

We’re proud to be virtually a no-food-waste operation, and thrilled to have healthy, organic, nutrient-dense food go to those who may otherwise not have access…Being a grocery store that sells only food without preservatives, many of the products we sell, do have a shorter shelf life than standard big box stores.

Peggy Van Cleef