Definition Sell By, Use By and Best Before - Food Label Content

Marc

Hunkered Down for the Duration with a Mask on...
Staff member
Admin
#1
What do these food labels mean to you?

1. Sell By
2. Use By
3. Best Before

Which one(s), if any, indicate a deadline after which a product goes bad?

How do you determine shelf life of food products you buy?
 
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Colin

Quite Involved in Discussions
#2
In my opinion, I would say that the 'use by' date is the critical one as it suggests that the product shouldn't be consumed after that date. Best before gives a little 'tolerance' between 'use by' and 'sell by'. Sell by gives the seller some tolerance between having the product at its best but before 'use by' - that was more complicated than I meant it to be!! :confused:
 

Ninja

Looking for Reality
Staff member
Super Moderator
#3
1. Sell By = If it hasn't sold by this date, you should revisit stocking levels and product organization.
2. Use By = The last day the store will even CONSIDER letting you return it if it is bad.
3. Best Before = The date the manufacturer wants you to use it by so that you'll buy more sooner.

Which one(s), if any, indicate a deadline after which a product goes bad?
Use By: It is bad when I can't return it if I don't like it.

How do you determine shelf life of food products you buy?
When appearance, smell or taste are unappealing.
If the milk smells fine, it is fine.
Ramen Noodles last forever.
Fuzzy green bread is bad.

It might seem funny...but I'm not trying to be. I'm being serious...I'm a guy...there are dates on food packages?
 

Marc

Hunkered Down for the Duration with a Mask on...
Staff member
Admin
#4
All sorts, including a lot of canned goods. Or at least, in the US.

Here are a couple label dates:

Chili Powder which has been around here for a while... :notme:




Pancake Mix
 

Ninja

Looking for Reality
Staff member
Super Moderator
#5
I think the extra "BH" on the end stands for
But eat it anyway if you're Hungry :tg:
 

Marc

Hunkered Down for the Duration with a Mask on...
Staff member
Admin
#6
I was going through some stuff I have in a kitchen cabinet here and noticed the chili powder and a box of Rice-a-Roni Spanish Rice were both out of date (so to speak). That got me looking further and I found a few other things that had been bought but never consumed.

I was looking for shelf lives for some things and also found this: Use by, sell by, best by a confusing mess for consumers, report says - What got me in the article was this:
LA Times said:
Wednesday’s report follows one about food waste from the NRDC showing that 40% of our food is discarded, resulting in losses of $165 billion a year.
I know I sure don't throw out 10% of the food I buy, much less 40%. Seems like a high number, but then again...

Anyway - I thought this would be an interesting discussion.

How much food, spices, etc. in your pantry is past its shelf life?
 

Colin

Quite Involved in Discussions
#7
Marc, I suspect that much of the food being thrown away is done so by the supermarkets themselves, it has reached its 'best before' date (or is very close to it) so people don't want it because we are being conditioned to think that it is bad if it gets to that date - it never gets near a customer.

Try having this conversation with a young person, they are mostly conditioned to not touch anything that has gone past its date.
 

Marc

Hunkered Down for the Duration with a Mask on...
Staff member
Admin
#8
I don't doubt that supermarkets are part of it. That would be a tough business to control. Personally I often look for things which are marked down because they're close to their "sell by" date.
 

Ninja

Looking for Reality
Staff member
Super Moderator
#9
Methinks I was sorta unclear...I was serious about how I handle the dates, but I was kidding about not knowing they existed. I knew they were there.

My wife wont eat anything past it's "sell by" date. I'll pretty much eat anything (raw fish and organ meat being exceptions). Many interesting discussions when I see food ($$) in the trash that I consider perfectly fine.

I figure the dates are partially the supermarket (marketing) influence, and part CYA by the food packager and FDA. I really don't know...just my uneducated guesses.
Limit of liability tends to govern most consumer goods sales, so I simply assume that is a main driving force in food dates as well.
 
M

mguilbert

#10
A little story. In one of my "Care packages" from my grandparents when I was in school I found Campbells Tomato Soup that was about ten years out of date. When I returned home on break I spent three days going through their cabinets removing all of the old stock. See, they always used coupons and would buy it for close to free in not free even if they did not use it. One on my grandfathers complications prior to death were intestinal problems. I think he may have eaten expired product more than once.

Shortly after my grandfathers passing my father and I visited my grandmother. She made us sandwiches for lunch. They were green and fuzzy. I fed mine to the dog (secretly) but my father ate it up knowing it was bad. Another time my sister visited and out of politeness she ate the moldy apple pie. When she got home she deliberatley got sick to remove it from her stomach. To this day she will not eat apple pie.

In my grandmothers defense she was legally blind.

On a serious note I know that many of these dates are mandated by the USDA/FDA. When I worked in Italian Deli meats the Sell Bys were determined by USDA/FDA guideline. I never understood the 1 year for proscuitto. That stuff will survive until eternity. I did not mind however being QA I needed to put it on hold so it could not be sold to retail locations. Then I and other employees would pay roughly a $1 a pound for a product that sells in stores for up $15 a pound. Need a log (the ones you see at the deli counter) of Genoa Salami $5. Only problem I have know is I can't see paying full price for proscuitto.
 
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