Date labelling is the process by which food business operators decide on the shelf life dates pertaining to safety, freshness, and quality printed on the packaging of their food products. Food businesses and consumers can use these dates to make well-informed decisions about whether a product is safe to eat.
What is “best-before” date?“Best-before” date means the date up to which a food remains fully marketable and acceptable for consumption so long as it retains any specific qualities for which express or implied claims have been made, provided the food remains in an intact package during its storage and is stored in accordance with such storage conditions as the manufacturer may specify.
“Best-before” dates are more concerned with the product’s ideal freshness than its safety. After this date, the product might not be as high-quality as claimed, but it might still be safe to eat.
“Use-by” date means the date after which it is estimated that food shall not be consumed for health or safety reasons. However, during its shelf life, the food should remain in an intact package at the time of its storage and stored in accordance with storage conditions as the manufacturer may specify before the “use-by” date.
Customers should pay close attention to the “use-by” date on food packaging. The manufacturer’s suggested consumption date is mentioned to guarantee a product’s safety and quality. The “use-by” date indicates that consuming the product after this date may cause health hazards, and is directly related to food safety. As a guideline, it helps promote general food safety knowledge and responsible consumption practices by avoiding the eating of potentially dangerous foods that may have reached a stage of spoilage or bacterial development.
In the Food Regulations 2024, every pre-packed food can be sold not later than 14 days after the “best-before” date has lapsed, provided that the food remains in an intact package during its storage or until its sale and is stored in accordance with such storage conditions as the manufacturer may specify. Such pre-packed food shall be displayed for sale in an area dedicated to that purpose.
Source: FDA