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Explainer
Best before, use by, sell by: what food date labels actually mean
The date printed on a package is not one universal signal. Regulators define several different types, and mixing them up causes a meaningful share of avoidable food waste.
By THRYV Life Desk·Published August 1, 2026·Updated August 4, 2026·6 min read
Food · Illustration commissioned for THRYV. Photography is replaced with original imagery as each story is produced.
The takeaway
Food date labelling terms are defined differently by regulators and carry different meanings for safety versus quality. Use-by dates relate to safety on perishable items, while best-before dates relate to quality and food is often still safe to eat after that date. National food safety agencies including the USDA and the UK Food Standards Agency publish specific guidance distinguishing the terms. Understanding the distinction reduces unnecessary food discarding without increasing food safety risk.
Confusion over date labels is a documented contributor to household food waste, and regulators in several countries have specifically flagged inconsistent terminology as part of the problem. The core distinction worth learning is between dates that signal safety and dates that signal quality.
Use by: a safety date
In the UK and EU, 'use by' dates appear on perishable foods where there is a food safety risk after the date, such as fresh meat, fish, and ready-to-eat chilled products. The UK Food Standards Agency advises against consuming food after its use-by date, even if it looks and smells fine, because the risk it addresses — such as bacterial growth — is not always detectable by appearance or smell.
Best before: a quality date
'Best before' dates relate to quality rather than safety: flavour, texture or nutritional content may decline after the date, but the food is generally safe to eat past it if stored correctly and shows no signs of spoilage. This applies to many longer-life foods such as tinned goods, dried pasta and frozen items.
Not medical advice
This article explains standard food labelling terminology. It is general information, not food safety advice for a specific product or health condition; people who are pregnant, elderly, very young, or immunocompromised should follow use-by dates and official food safety guidance strictly, since they face higher risk from foodborne illness.
US terminology is less standardised
In the United States, the USDA has noted that date labels such as 'sell by', 'best if used by' and 'use by' are, with the exception of infant formula, generally not federally required or standardised, and are provided voluntarily by manufacturers as an indicator of quality rather than a federally mandated safety cutoff. This has led USDA and FDA to promote 'best if used by' as clearer, more consistent language for quality dating, and to note that 'sell by' dates are primarily inventory information for retailers rather than a signal to consumers.
Sell by is not a consumer safety cutoff
'Sell by' dates exist to help retailers manage stock rotation and are not intended as the point past which food becomes unsafe for a consumer to eat at home; food can generally be safely stored and consumed for a period after the sell-by date, provided it has been handled correctly.
Practical checks beyond the date
Storage conditions matter as much as the date: consistent refrigeration at the correct temperature extends practical safe life relative to a fridge that fluctuates in temperature.
Smell, appearance and texture remain useful checks for quality-dated items, though they are not reliable indicators for the specific pathogens that use-by dates address.
Packaging integrity, including swelling or damage on tinned goods, is an independent safety signal regardless of the printed date.
Freezing can extend safe storage well beyond a printed best-before date for many foods, provided freezing happens before that date and food is thawed safely.
Treat use-by dates on perishable, chilled or ready-to-eat foods as a firm safety cutoff.
Treat best-before dates as a quality guide, using appearance, smell and storage history to judge edibility past the date.
Do not treat US sell-by dates as a consumer-facing safety deadline.
Follow stricter interpretation of all dates for higher-risk groups, per national food safety guidance.
One date on a package answers a safety question. Another answers a quality question. Reading them as the same thing is where avoidable waste, and avoidable risk, both come from.
THRYV Life Desk
Sources
This article is original writing by THRYV. We link to primary reporting and official documents rather than reproducing them.
Written and edited in-house by the THRYV Life Desk. We do not republish or reword agency copy, and we do not invent quotes, statistics, testimonials or ratings. Where figures move frequently, we point you to the primary release rather than printing a number that will be out of date. Advertising and affiliate partnerships have no influence on our reporting — see our editorial standards, fact-checking policy and affiliate disclosure. Spotted an error? Write to newsroom@thryv-news.com.
General information only. Not personalised financial, medical or legal advice.
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