Reading expiry dates honestly (best before vs use by vs sell by)

Here is the short version, because this is a question that deserves a straight answer: “use by” is about safety. Everything else on the package is about quality. A yogurt one day past its “best before” is almost certainly fine. Chicken past its “use by” is not a judgment call you should be making by smell.

The longer version is worth five minutes, because date-label confusion is one of the most expensive misunderstandings in a normal kitchen. Perfectly edible food gets binned on the strength of a stamp that was never a safety claim in the first place.

What the labels actually mean

Use by. The only label that is a safety deadline. It appears on highly perishable foods (fresh meat, fish, some dairy and chilled ready meals) and it means the producer will not stand behind the product’s safety after that date. In UK and EU labeling this is the legally meaningful safety date (UK Food Standards Agency). Respect it, including the part where “it smells fine” is not a test; the bacteria that cause illness mostly do not announce themselves by smell.

Best before / best if used by. A quality estimate: the producer’s guess at how long the product stays at its best in flavor and texture. After the date, it fades; it does not become dangerous. This is the label on most of the pantry (pasta, rice, cans, oils, chocolate, sauces) and on plenty of the fridge. The FDA supports “Best if Used By” precisely to signal quality, not safety.

Sell by / display until. A stock-rotation note for the store. It was never addressed to you, and food is routinely good for days (or, for pantry goods, months) past it.

One more thing worth knowing: in the US, outside of infant formula, date labels are largely not federally required at all; they are producer estimates, not regulated safety declarations (USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service).

The honest decision rule

For any item in your hand, ask two questions:

1. Is this a “use by” food? Fresh meat, fish, unpasteurized dairy, chilled ready meals: the date wins. Eat it, freeze it before the date, or let it go.
2. Everything else: the date is a quality opinion. Look, smell, taste a little. Stale is a fact; “expired” mostly is not. Dry pasta a year past its date is dinner. Yogurt a week past “best before”, unopened and properly chilled, is very likely breakfast.

Two honest asymmetries to keep in mind. Storage matters more than the stamp: an opened jar’s date stopped meaning anything the day it was opened, and anything left out warm has forfeited its label. And the date assumes the unopened package; “once opened, use within X days” is the clause people actually ignore.

For the item-by-item version (how long open jars, condiments, grains, and spices genuinely last, and how to tell), we keep a table-first guide here.

Why this matters more than it seems

Households generate about 60% of the world’s wasted food (UNEP Food Waste Index 2024), and label confusion is a documented contributor: food discarded not because anything was wrong with it, but because a quality date was read as a safety deadline. Reading labels honestly is the rare food-waste fix that costs nothing, takes no time, and starts working tonight. It pairs with the other cheap habits in the low-effort food-waste system.

The point is not to become cavalier. It is to put the caution where it belongs (the “use by” foods) and stop paying a fear tax on everything else.

Where Mealhive fits

Mealhive’s pantry keeps the dates so your head does not have to. Items you buy land in the pantry with a sensible shelf-life estimate, you can set the real date off the package in two taps, and when something is genuinely approaching its window you get a gentle “use it up” nudge, with what-to-cook suggestions from your own saved recipes. No spreadsheet, no fridge archaeology, and the caution lands on the right items instead of all of them. If that sounds useful, get on the waitlist and we will send an invite when the next round opens.

FAQ

Can I eat food past its best-before date?

Usually, yes. “Best before” is a quality estimate, not a safety limit: the food may slowly lose flavor or texture after the date but does not suddenly become unsafe. Judge it by look, smell, and taste. The exception is the “use by” label on perishables, which is a genuine safety deadline.

What is the difference between use by and sell by?

“Use by” is addressed to you and concerns safety on perishable food. “Sell by” is addressed to the store and concerns stock rotation; food is normally fine well past it. If a package carries both, only “use by” should change what you eat.

Is it safe to eat yogurt after the expiry date?

If the date is a “best before” and the yogurt has been sealed and properly refrigerated, it is generally fine for some days past it; fermented products are relatively resilient, and visible mold or an off taste are your actual stop signs. If the label is a “use by”, treat it as the deadline.

Which foods should I never eat past the date?

Foods carrying a “use by” date: fresh and cured meat, fish and seafood, chilled ready meals, and unpasteurized dairy. For everything “best before”, the date is an opinion about quality; for these, it is a boundary about safety. Freezing before the date is the legitimate escape hatch.