Food labels
‘Use by’ and ‘Best Before’ – know your dates!
Ever wondered what the difference is between ‘use by’ and ‘best before dates’ labels? Use By is about food safety, while Best Before relates to food quality. And all prepacked food must have information labels under EU law.
A food label marked with either a 'best before' or 'use by' date indication is required to inform consumers how long foods can be kept and how to store them.
The European Commission estimates that up to 10% of the 88 million tonnes of food waste generated annually in the EU is linked to date marking on food products.
Use By is about food safety. It is an instruction to use a food by a certain date, after which the food is no longer safe to consume and could make you ill. It appears on fresh, highly perishable food, fish, meat, salads and dairy products that could cause you to become ill if eaten after the date.
Best Before relates to food quality. As long as you stick to storage instructions, the food will be safe to eat after the best before date but may not have the same taste or texture. After this date, there is no guarantee that the food will be as fresh, tasty, crispy, etc. as before but it will not make you sick. So, you don't necessarily need to throw it away just yet!
The labelling requirements for allergenic ingredients on food products is crucial so that people with allergies can avoid ingredients that can make them sick. As well as giving advice for use in labelling, scientists also evaluate new ingredients in case they are potential allergens and look at how factors like food processing might affect allergenic potential.
Michaela Hempen, an EFSA Food microbiologist.
Food safety scientists work closely with food business operators to make sure that the same criteria for the setting of dates is used. It's reassuring to know that science can help us make the right choices when it comes to food safety and food waste.
EFSA has also developed a tool to help food business operators decide when to apply the ‘use by’ or ‘best before’ date to their products to further reduce food waste.