In EU food-date guidance, use by concerns safety and best before concerns quality. Read which wording appears on the food before deciding what the date means. The two labels should not be treated as interchangeable warnings.
EFSA says food should not be eaten after its use-by date even if it looks or smells fine. Appearance and smell do not establish the absence of harmful bacteria. Read the date wording together with the product’s storage instructions and relevant guidance about spoilage.
A household food list is more useful with the date wording copied exactly from the packaging. Keep the storage and opening instructions beside it. Those details preserve the context needed when the list is used later to plan a meal or check an item.
Keep the label together
Read the date, storage instructions and any directions that apply after opening. A date copied into a meal-planning app can lose important conditions from the package. If the wording is unclear, the manufacturer or relevant food-safety authority can help clarify the instructions for that product.
Use the right question
| Label or instruction | What to establish |
|---|---|
| Use by | The safety deadline and required storage conditions |
| Best before | The quality date and appropriate official guidance |
| After opening | The additional instructions for an opened product |
| Frozen or prepared food | The applicable handling and storage guidance |
This table is a reading framework. It does not supply a universal storage period for all foods.
Plan before a deadline
Check dates while planning meals and buying quantities. For freezing or cooking ahead, follow the product instructions and official guidance applicable to that food and its storage conditions.
A household checklist can preserve the exact date wording and storage instructions from the label. Keep the advice explicitly tied to EU guidance: other jurisdictions can use different terminology and rules. Recheck the relevant authority when the product or location changes.
Follow the wording through a decision
Start with the exact phrase on the product and the storage instructions. EFSA distinguishes use-by dates, which concern safety, from best-before dates, which concern quality. Its guidance states that food should not be eaten after a use-by date even when its appearance and smell seem normal.
A planning list can therefore keep two different questions visible: which products must be handled according to a safety deadline, and which quality-dated products need assessment under their relevant instructions. Keep any instructions after opening beside the original label as well.
Make the household record specific
| Field | What to copy from the item |
|---|---|
| Product | Recognisable description |
| Date wording | Use by or best before |
| Date | Exact printed date |
| Storage | Applicable label instructions |
| Opened | Date and any after-opening instruction |
The table organises the information; it does not create a new shelf life. If cooking or freezing is being considered, use the product’s and relevant authority’s guidance for that operation, including what applies afterwards.
For an unclear label, ask the manufacturer or appropriate food-safety authority about the particular product. Keeping the wording and relevant details makes that question easier to answer. Planning can then respond to the actual instructions rather than a single general expires category.
Use separate entries for use-by and best-before dates in a planning list. This keeps the distinction explained above visible during everyday decisions. Place items needing attention where they are easy to notice, with the original label available whenever the instructions need checking.
Sources consulted
- Food date labelling — EFSA; checked 4 November 2026.