Food date labels help you decide when food is at its best quality and when safety needs extra attention. Best By and Use By do not always mean the same thing, so reading them carefully can prevent waste and reduce the chance of eating spoiled food. This skill matters at home, at school, and anywhere you buy, store, or prepare food.
A milk carton is a useful example because it has a clear date label and can spoil if it is handled poorly.
Key Facts
- Best By usually means the date when flavor, texture, or freshness is expected to be best, not an automatic safety deadline.
- Use By is often the last date recommended for using the product at peak quality and may be more important for safety on perishable foods.
- Sell By is mainly for stores, telling them how long to display the product for sale.
- Storage time remaining = label date - today.
- Perishable foods like milk, meat, and deli foods should be kept cold at 40°F or 4°C or below.
- When in doubt, check the label, storage history, smell, appearance, and texture, but never taste food to test if it is safe.
Vocabulary
- Best By
- A date that tells when a food is expected to have its best flavor, texture, or quality.
- Use By
- A date that tells the last day the maker recommends using the product for best quality and sometimes safety.
- Sell By
- A date used by stores to manage how long a product should stay on the shelf for sale.
- Perishable
- A food that can spoil or become unsafe quickly if it is not stored properly.
- Food spoilage
- The process in which food changes in smell, color, texture, or safety because of bacteria, mold, or chemical changes.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Throwing away every food after its Best By date is a mistake because Best By usually refers to quality, not an automatic safety cutoff.
- Ignoring a Use By date on perishable food is a mistake because foods like milk, meat, and seafood can become risky if stored too long.
- Using the printed date without checking storage conditions is a mistake because food kept warm or opened early can spoil before the label date.
- Tasting questionable food to see if it is safe is a mistake because harmful bacteria may not change the taste and can still make you sick.
Practice Questions
- 1 A milk carton has a Use By date of March 12. Today is March 9. How many days remain before the labeled Use By date?
- 2 A yogurt cup has a Best By date of April 5. Today is April 8. How many days past the Best By date is it, and what checks should you do before deciding whether to eat it?
- 3 A sealed box of crackers is 4 days past its Best By date, while an opened carton of milk is 4 days past its Use By date. Explain which item needs more caution and why.