What does a use by date mean?
A use by date is the last day the maker considers the food safe to eat. GOV.UK puts it plainly: use-by dates are about food safety, and eating food past its use-by date could make you ill (GOV.UK). They are required on foods that spoil quickly, such as meat products and ready-to-eat salads.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) gives the same meaning for the EU and adds the part people find hard to accept: do not eat the food after that date even if it looks or smells fine, because harmful bacteria that you cannot see or smell might make you ill (EFSA). Its examples are fresh meat, fish, ready-to-eat salads and dairy products.
You may also see it written as “used by”. The label on the pack says “use by”, and the meaning is the same.
What a best before date means
Best before is about quality, not safety. GOV.UK describes it as the date after which food might start to decline in quality, and says that after it the food is usually safe to eat but may not be as good. EFSA says the same thing in other words: still safe if stored correctly, but it may lose some of its taste, texture or freshness.
It shows up on food that keeps well. GOV.UK lists frozen foods such as peas, chips and ice cream, dried foods such as pasta and rice, tinned foods such as baked beans and canned tomatoes, and cheese.
Use by vs best before, side by side
| Use by | Best before | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is about | Safety | Quality |
| Typical foods | Fresh meat, fish, ready-to-eat salads, dairy | Frozen, dried and tinned foods, snacks, cheese |
| After the date | Do not eat it | Usually safe, may be past its best |
| Look, smell, taste? | Not a valid test | A reasonable test |
| Before the date | Eat, cook or freeze it | Store it as the label says |
The rows come from GOV.UK and EFSA. EFSA is explicit about the fourth one: checking with your senses is for best before food and does not apply to food with a use by date.
Does use by mean expired?
Near enough. UK and EU packs do not normally say “expiry date” on food, but use by is the label that behaves like one: the day after, the food is past it. If you are comparing best before vs expiry date, the short version is that a best before date is not an expiry date. Food one day past its best before date has not “expired” in any safety sense; it has reached the point where the maker stops promising top quality.
That distinction matters for waste. The European Commission cites a 2018 study estimating that up to 10% of the food waste generated each year in the EU is linked to date marking (European Commission). Treating a best before date vs expiry date as the same thing is one way that happens.
What you can do before a use by date
A use by date is strict, but it is not the only way out. GOV.UK says food can be eaten after its use-by date if it was cooked or frozen on or before that date.
Cook it
Cook the food before the date, cool it and put it in the fridge, then eat it within 48 hours or freeze it for later. EFSA gives the same 48 hours.
Freeze it
The Food Standards Agency says you can freeze food up to midnight on the use by date printed on the label (Food Standards Agency). GOV.UK explains why that works: food frozen before the date will not deteriorate, because bacteria cannot grow on frozen food. Write on the pack what it is and when you froze it, and once it is defrosted, use it within 24 hours. For how long it keeps in the meantime, see how long frozen food is good for.
How to read a best before date
Start with the words in front of the date, because they tell you which kind it is. “Best before” may also appear as “best before end”, often shortened to BBE; GOV.UK treats both as the same quality date. Then read the storage line next to it. A date only holds if the food was kept the way the label says.
GOV.UK is direct about this for both labels: poor storage can make food unsafe before its use-by date, and can reduce quality before its best before date. If the pack says to refrigerate after opening, that means 5°C or below. After the best before date, GOV.UK suggests using your senses: look for visible mould on bread, taste biscuits or crisps to see if they are stale, smell dairy products to check whether they have soured.
If you cannot find the date at all, our guide to checking an expiration date with a barcode lists the usual places it is printed.
Who decides which date goes on the pack?
The manufacturer. GOV.UK says makers choose which date to apply, based on the type of food and how likely it is to become unsafe over time. In the EU, EFSA published a decision tool in 2020 to help food businesses choose: a series of questions about the product, how it is treated and how it is stored (EFSA). The Commission's view is that use by should be used only where there is a safety reason for it.
That is why the same kind of product can carry different labels from different makers, and why the label on the pack in your hand is the one to follow, not a general rule about the food.
Keeping the two dates apart at home
In a full fridge the difference gets lost. A yoghurt with a use by date and a jar with a best before date look equally urgent, or equally ignorable. A list that shows what is due first helps you deal with the strict dates in time, by eating, cooking or freezing.
Xpiry is an expiry date tracker for Android. Enter whichever date is printed on the pack and choose how early you want a reminder. For opened food you can set a use-within period, and Xpiry follows whichever date comes first. It does not judge whether food is safe; it remembers the date so you can act before it.
Want a reminder a few days before a use by date, while there is still time to cook or freeze? Xpiry keeps the dates in one list and tells you what is next.
See the food expiration tracker page for how it works in the kitchen.
FAQ
Can I eat food one day after the use by date?
GOV.UK and EFSA both say not to, even if it looks and smells fine, unless it was cooked or frozen on or before the date.
Can I eat food after the best before date?
Usually, according to GOV.UK, if it has been stored as the label says. It may not be as good. Use your senses to judge it.
Can I freeze food on its use by date?
Yes. The Food Standards Agency says up to midnight on the use by date. Use it within 24 hours once defrosted.
Does the sniff test work?
For best before food, looking, smelling and tasting are what GOV.UK and EFSA suggest. For use by food EFSA says the check does not apply.
Does “use by” mean the same in the United States?
Not quite. The US FDA describes a “use by” date as the manufacturer's recommendation for best flavour or quality, not a food safety date, with infant formula and some baby foods as the exception (FDA). The meanings in this guide are the UK and EU ones.
Sources
- GOV.UK, Understanding food labelling: Best before and use-by dates
- Food Standards Agency, How to chill, freeze and defrost food safely
- EFSA, Food date labelling
- EFSA, ‘Use by’ or ‘best before’? New tool to support food operators
- European Commission, Date marking and food waste prevention
- FDA, Are You Storing Food Safely?