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..
In: 70
Expiration dates are for medication and infant foods.
Sell by dates inform retailers how to rotate their product so the oldest sell first. Product past the date can still be sold, and milk can even go back to be made into processed milk products (yogurt, cheese, etc). Not as common anymore unfortunately.
Best by dates tell the customer about when the product will start to change flavor noticeably. For most canned and dry foods they won’t become inedible, just unpalatable. Best to compost these.
Vox has an excellent write up on the history and nuances https://www.vox.com/22559293/food-waste-expiration-label-best-before
Edit: oh, and trust your nose. Even before any dates food can go bad for all sorts of reasons. We have evolved to detect even the slightest hint of most common food borne pathogens. If it smells bad compost it.
Latest Answers