Dates on food - use by, Best Before, display until, sell by
On the news this morning, a piece on sell by dates. This is in response to updated guidance on dates by DEFRA. Go to this link for the full guidance:
In a nutshell, there are four dates that are used:
Use by - for perishable foods, related to food safety and it is illegal to use food after this date
Best before - for non perishables, related to quality and can be used after expiry (subject to an assessment). My professkinla advice is not to, not based on food safety, but based on fod quality and good stock rotation.
Display until - purely used by stores to aid them in their own stock rotation. Of no relevance to consumer
Sell by - used rarely, but same as above.
It is the latter two that the Government want stores to take greater care with, as it is obviously creating confusion for the consumer. They are asking for complete removal of these guidance dates in some cases.
In a nutshell, there are four dates that are used:
Use by - for perishable foods, related to food safety and it is illegal to use food after this date
Best before - for non perishables, related to quality and can be used after expiry (subject to an assessment). My professkinla advice is not to, not based on food safety, but based on fod quality and good stock rotation.
Display until - purely used by stores to aid them in their own stock rotation. Of no relevance to consumer
Sell by - used rarely, but same as above.
It is the latter two that the Government want stores to take greater care with, as it is obviously creating confusion for the consumer. They are asking for complete removal of these guidance dates in some cases.