What does the best by date mean?
It means quality. The FDA says manufacturers apply date labels at their own discretion, most often to tell you how long a food should keep the quality and flavour they intend (FDA). The best by date is the company's estimate of that point. It says nothing definite about the day after.
The phrase the FDA would like to see instead is “Best if Used By”. It supports that wording as the standard way to show the date until which a product will be at its best flavour and quality, and together with the USDA it recommends that companies use it voluntarily. The two agencies describe it as a quality-based label: quality may decline after the date, but the product may still be consumed (FDA and USDA).
Is the best by date the same as an expiration date?
No. An expiration date suggests a line between safe and unsafe. A best by date does not draw that line, and for most packaged food in the US nothing official does. Three facts from the FDA explain the gap:
- Quality dates are optional. Apart from infant formula, no federal law or regulation requires a quality-based date label on packaged food.
- The wording is not standardised. The US has no uniform or universally accepted terms for open dating, which is why the same idea appears under several phrases.
- The company picks the date. It reflects the maker's own view of quality, not a test set by a regulator.
A 2019 report by the US Government Accountability Office adds the other half of the picture: date labels are not federally regulated, but states may regulate them, and most states have date label requirements for certain foods (GAO). So what a label has to say can depend on the product and on where it is sold.
The phrases you will see, and how much they tell you
| On the pack | What official sources say about it |
|---|---|
| Best if Used By | The phrase the FDA and USDA recommend. Quality may decline after the date; the product may still be consumed. |
| Best By | Named by the FDA as one of the other phrases in use while industry moves toward more uniform wording. |
| Use By | The FDA calls it the manufacturer's recommendation for best flavour or quality, not a food safety date. Infant formula is the exception. |
| Sell By | Also in use. Federal regulations do not prohibit it, provided it is truthful and not misleading. |
| Expires On | Listed by the FDA among the phrases you may still see. It has no single federal definition for packaged food in general. |
The “Use By” row is from the FDA's consumer page on storing food safely, which also notes that a product may be wholesome and safe past that date, and that if you are unsure or the food looks questionable, you should throw it out.
Comparing best by vs expiration date, then, is mostly comparing wording. What matters more is the kind of food, how it was stored, and its condition when you open it.
The exception: infant formula
Infant formula is the one product the FDA singles out. It is the exception to the “no federal requirement” rule, and the FDA's storage advice says infant formula and some baby foods must be used by the date on the package. Treat that date as firm.
What to do with food past its best by date
The FDA's advice is to check it. After the “Best if Used By” date, look for signs of spoilage. If the food has noticeably changed in colour, consistency or texture, consider not eating it (FDA, Tips to Reduce Food Waste). If you have a question about a particular product, the company's contact details are often printed on the package, and the FDA suggests asking them.
Storage decides a lot of this. The FDA's figures are a refrigerator at 40°F or below and a freezer at 0°F, and it points to the FoodKeeper app, developed by the USDA with Cornell University and the Food Marketing Institute, for how long individual foods keep in the pantry, fridge and freezer. Freezing food you will not get to in time is another option the FDA lists; our guide on how long frozen food is good for covers what happens after that.
One limit applies whatever the label says. Perishable food left at room temperature for more than two hours is past the FDA's limit, one hour if it is above 90°F. A date on the pack assumes the food was stored properly.
Why the labels are being looked at again
The FDA estimates that confusion over date labels accounts for about 20 percent of consumer food waste. People read a quality date as a safety date and discard food that was fine.
In December 2024 the FDA and the USDA published a joint request for information on food date labelling, covering terms such as “Sell By”, “Use By” and “Best By”. It asked how companies choose the phrase and the date, what research shows about how shoppers read them, and whether date labels affect food waste and grocery costs. The same announcement quotes a USDA estimate that the average family of four spends at least $1,500 a year on food that ends up uneaten.
The announcement says the answers may inform future policy, guidance or consumer education. It does not change what the labels mean today: voluntary, quality-based, and set by the maker.
Using the date without overreading it
A best by date is still useful. It tells you which pack to open first and roughly when the maker thinks it will start to slip. The trick is to reach the food before the date instead of debating it afterwards.
Xpiry is an expiry date tracker for Android. You enter the date printed on the pack, pick how early you want to hear about it, and the list stays sorted so the oldest items are on top. Its insights show what you used in time and what expired first. Xpiry does not tell you whether food is safe; it remembers the date you entered.
Prefer to eat things before the date than to wonder about them after? Xpiry reminds you ahead of the dates you save, so the oldest pack gets used first.
More on the kitchen side is on the food expiration tracker page.
FAQ
Are best by dates expiration dates?
No. The FDA and USDA describe “Best if Used By” as a quality-based label, and say the product may still be consumed after the date.
What does “best if used by” mean?
It is the wording the FDA supports for the date until which a product will be at its best flavour and quality. “Best by” is a shorter variant of the same idea.
Is food safe to eat after the best by date?
The date alone does not answer that. The FDA says to check for spoilage, such as a noticeable change in colour, consistency or texture, and to throw food out if you are unsure or it looks questionable.
Does every food need a date label in the US?
Not under federal rules, which require one only for infant formula. The GAO notes that most states have their own requirements for certain foods.
Why do labels use so many different phrases?
Because the wording is not standardised nationally. The FDA says industry is moving toward more uniform practices, with “Best if Used By” as the recommended phrase.
Sources
- FDA, How to Cut Food Waste and Maintain Food Safety
- FDA, Tips to Reduce Food Waste
- FDA, Are You Storing Food Safely?
- FDA and USDA, USDA, FDA Seek Information About Food Date Labeling
- US Government Accountability Office, Date Labels on Packaged Foods (GAO-19-407)