Did you know that understanding the food date label can save you lots of food and money? Have you ever bought a food item in a hurry to get out of the supermarket holiday hustle, then realised at checkout, or worse when you got home that the expiry date is less than a week away? Well, I have – it’s frustrating!
There is so much information on a food label. Some would argue too much or say it’s confusing! If you’re accustomed to zooming through the supermarket, you may not notice the date labels. Don’t worry, I’ll share how I’ve improved my food waste and grocery budget by understanding food date labels much better.
To understand food date labels and how they impact our pockets, we learn some science about food spoilage and processing first, so bear with me. Promise it won’t be too killer.
Why do we process and package some foods in the ways we do?
It’s natural for food spoilage to happen. Food spoilage is a process or change that makes a product undesirable or unacceptable for consumption. It signals the end of life for food.
Food spoils by several means
- Growth of Micro-organisms (bacteria, fungi, etc)
- Chemical composition changes – rancidity, enzymes degradation and oxidation (caused by air or light)
- Physical damage like bruises and cracks, dented cans, broken packages
- Time
- Storage Temperature
- Exposure to pests such as rodents and insects.
Many supermarket-purchased foods come in specially-designed packaging to prevent or slow food spoilage. Processing is also done to the raw ingredients, including the addition of safe preservatives to extend the life of foods. Processing often gets a bad rap because foods high in salt, sugar or fats are often an end product of ultra-processing.
A few early examples of food processing were drying, salting, pickling, candying and canning. As Food Science has continued to evolve, newer, more effective methods allow us to keep food longer or better predict spoilage times, while maintaining the same taste and texture as when it was selected/picked. For example:
- We can get bananas from Guatemala that will stay green until they are sprayed with a harmless gas called ethylene, and then they will ripen.
- We can purchase frozen berries from almost any supermarket at any time of the year that are grown in the US and blast frozen at peak ripeness.
- We can purchase canned fish like salmon that are ethically and sustainably sourced from Alaskan waters without even thinking about the sea.
So, what does this have to do with food date labels? Think about the frozen berries or the canned salmon. There’s usually a “date” on those that you should check before purchasing. If you live in Barbados where several foods are imported, you may find it challenging to understand which food date label is most important to follow. So let’s take a look at the most common ones.
Food Date Labels related to Food Safety that can save you coins
Remember how I said food spoils by several mechanisms? Well, these food date labels refer to the known safety of the food being compromised, i.e. eat the food before this date or you may run the risk of getting sick. Understanding food date labels could save you lots of money and trips to the doctor too.
1. Use-by Date
This is the most important date to remember. You can eat that food up to and on the use-by date but not after. You will see use-by dates on food that goes off quickly, such as meat products or ready-to-eat salads.
For the use-by date to be valid, you must follow the recommended storage instructions on the package. For example, if the instructions on the packaging tell you to refrigerate after opening, you should keep the food in a fridge at 5°C or below. This could keep the food from spoiling before the date and reduce food wastage.
2. Expiry date
The expiration date is the date up to which the food maintains its microbiological and physical stability, and the nutrient content declared on the label.
Have you ever had the experience of buying a product and misinterpreting the food date label on the packaging AND the storage instructions? Then it spoils and you have to throw it away? The number of times I’ve fallen out of favour with giant yogurt tubs😫. This is a rare occurrence now as I try to pick items with a further expiry date, or plan my meals to make the most of items close to the expiry date.
Some long-shelf-life foods that are critical to nutrition must carry expiry dates. These include meal replacements, nutritional supplements, infant formulas and formulated liquid diets, which should not be consumed after the date on the label has passed.
3. Sell-by date*
*This one is a bit tricky.
A Sell-By date tells the store how long to display a product for sale, whereby there is a reasonable storage period in the customer’s home. You should buy the product before the date expires. I see this a lot in supermarkets here, especially on meats, cut cheeses, and breads.
It’s not a great indication of food’s safety, but depending on the type of food, you should aim to use it as soon as possible and store it properly.
Food Date Labels related to food quality that could save you a bad experience
When we talk about the quality of the food, we’re referring to its texture and taste. Cornflakes is a great example! The longer you keep that box before eating it, the more stale or less crispy those cornflakes will be. It doesn’t mean they aren’t safe to eat (once unopened), but the eating experience isn’t as nice.
1. Manufacture or Pack date
The pack or manufacture date is the code that refers to the date the food was washed, graded, and packaged.
2. Best Before Date
The best before date is sometimes seen as best before end (BBE). This label is about the quality of the food item. The food may not have its best flavour and texture, although it is still safe to eat after this date. Best-before dates appear on a wide range of foods including:
- frozen foods
- dried foods
- canned foods
A key takeaway about the BBE date: it will only be accurate IF the food is stored according to the instructions on the package.
Understanding these dates, planning your shop and storing foods correctly at home, can help you reduce your food waste and cut down on your supermarket bill.
A good rule of thumb is, the higher water content (moisture) and fewer preservatives (processing included) a particular food has, the more likely it is to spoil in a shorter time. Use those as soon as possible, or refrigerate them.
Would you like to know more about food safety? Is this something I should chat about more?
Written: 6th December 2021. Updated: 19th January 2025
References
American Heart Association, 2018. Understanding Expiration Dates: How do I know when my food’s gone bad? [WWW Document]. www.heart.org. URL https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/cooking-skills/storing/understanding-expiration-dates-how-do-i-know-when-my-foods-gone-bad (accessed 11.29.21).
EUFIC, 2023. What is Processed Food? URL: https://www.eufic.org/en/food-production/article/what-is-processed-food (Accessed: 19 January 2025).
FAO, WHO, 2001. Codex General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged foods, in: Codex Alimentarius – Food Labelling. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Health Organization, Rome.
Food Standards Agency, 2021. Best before and use-by dates [WWW Document]. Food Standards Agency. URL https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/best-before-and-use-by-dates (accessed 11.29.21).
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2015. How Food Spoils [WWW Document]. UNL Food. URL https://food.unl.edu/how-food-spoils (accessed 12.5.21).