What are best before dates?

Do you know the difference between best before dates and an expiry dates on food items? There is a lot of confusion around these two terms, and a lack of understanding about them can lead to food waste if the food is thought to be “unsafe.” In today’s post, we will get into the nitty gritty of the question: what are best before dates?

In this post I will explain the difference between these two terms, what they really mean in regards to food safety, and how you can reduce food waste simply by knowing what the best before date tells you about your food.

background on best before dates.

The commercialization of best before dates goes back to the 1970s, but the concept may be traced back to the 1930s. As governments began subsidizing processed foods and mass production globalized, the safety of food products became a priority. The first “sell-by-date” label was created in 1973, but the concept was first integrated into product management in the storage rooms of Marks & Spencer in the 1950s. Since then, “use-by” and “best before” dates are being used in just about every food production facility. Today in Canada, best before dates are required on items that are fresh for 90 days or less, but can often be found on items that last longer, such as canned or jarred goods. Nowadays I see these labels on just about every food product, necessary or not.

how are best before dates determined?

The best before date of an individual product is decided by the manufacturer. This is done by comparing products to a pre-determined standardized shelf life (e.g. no matter where the eggs or milk are produced, they likely will last for similar periods), running microbial tests and/or theoretical modelling. Based on these tests they can determine an optimal lifespan for the product. Often times, manufacturers will write the best before date a few days in advance of what they actually test as a “just in case.” The item may last longer than the standard date…or in some cases, may go bad earlier than expected.

what the best before date tells you.

The primary function of modern-day best before labels is to tell you how fresh a product is. The product is at its optimal freshness before the date on the label. After that point, the producer cannot guarantee it will be the same quality. For instance, while fruits or veggies don’t have a set best before date, you KNOW when they aren’t fresh any more: they start to wilt, get a little squishy and spotty, and may not taste as good as they previously did. This is an example of a food item going past its best before date. The same goes for other items with best before dates, such as dairy products. The yogurt may say “best before August 20th” but that doesn’t mean you will get sick if you eat it on the 21st, 22nd or likely even 23rd. It just means you may notice the product is not as fresh, or nutrients may have been lost. If the item is sealed and unopened until its best before date, you may not notice a difference at all.

What this means is that you can eat food items that are past their best before date. That said, some items should not be left as long as others. For instance, you could probably eat dried beans or grains a few months past the best before date, but definitely not fresh meat. Additionally, before eating anything past the best before date, you should do a sight/smell test. If it looks odd or smells bad, it may have gone bad and therefore should not be eaten.

what the best before date does not tell you.

The best before date is not the expiry. To reiterate, you can eat foods past the best before date (with some exceptions) but most of the time you should not eat them past the expiry date. An expiry date is only mandatory on five types of products in Canada (baby formula/human milk substitutes, nutritional supplements, meal replacements, pharmacist-sold foods for low-energy diets and formulated liquid diets).

Best before dates do not promise product safety. Keep in mind that the best before date is a standardized estimate – each item will hold its freshness differently depending on how it is stored and handled. To illustrate, you may have just bought a new carton of eggs, and even if the best before date is a month in advance, if you leave it out of the fridge for two days they will likely go bad. Likewise, if there is a recall on products due to a bacteria outbreak or something similar, it doesn’t matter what the best before date is, it can still be dangerous to consume.

how this relates to food waste.

As you many now be able to see, confusion around best before dates and expiry dates leads to perfectly good food being wasted and both the consumer and supplier’s end. Canadians waste 58 percent of all food produced, one-third of which could have been avoided through actions such as proper label reading. Think about it: how many times have you thrown out food “just in case” or you have watched someone do this because the best before date had passed?

Restaurants, grocery stores and other food sellers are required to throw out foods by or even before the best before date, leading to massive amounts of food waste from the supplier’s end. This means plenty of edible food going to waste every day around the world.

By being an educated consumer and knowing when to really throw things out “just in case,” you can minimize your food waste and save money. Remember that best before “x” doesn’t mean the food is bad past “x,” it might just be less flavourful/nutritious. Do a sight/smell test if you are unsure if an item is good.

If you enjoyed this post, check out these other ones about sustainable food systems and food waste:

If you haven’t already done so, be sure to check out the Clear the Air YouTube channel! My first vew videos are now live, so head on over there for more inspiring (and silly) content. Here is my first video:

What other questions about food packaging or food safety do you have? What are your thoughts on best before dates – are we too cautious or are they essential? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time.