eli5: Why do some refrigerated products have a “Best buy” date, instead of an expiration date?

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Edit : Best if used BY*

I went to Ralph’s today for this queso dip I usually get. It’s a refrigerated product kept in the dairy department. It had a Best By date of AUGUST of THIS year (don’t ask me why. I almost thought about informing a staff member but didn’t want to look stupid if it wasn’t a huge deal). The queso did not have any expiration date written on the product. I sadly just decided to not get it. I understand that Best If Used By dates are technically different from Expiration dates.. but how much different when it comes to refrigerated products? If I purchased it& waited a few days to a week or two before consumption , I wouldn’t know when it would for sure expire..

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10 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Some products will not taste good but be perfectly fine to eat. Best by date = it’s ok to eat this after the date, but we can’t guarantee it’ll taste right. Expiration Date = We think this product will no longer be safe to eat after this date.

I will say it’s weird that a product that could be unsafe to eat after some time that needed refrigeration had a best by date instead of an expiration date.

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