Best By, Use By, Sell By… What Do Those Dates Actually Mean? 🥛

You find something in the refrigerator with yesterday's date on it.

Do you throw it away?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Food labels can be surprisingly confusing, because the date printed on a package doesn't always mean the same thing.

Three Little Words, Three Different Ideas

“Best if Used By”

This generally refers to quality.

After this date, the food may not taste or perform at its best, but the date itself isn't necessarily a safety cutoff.

“Sell By”

This is mainly useful for stores as a guide for inventory management.

It's not simply a message saying, “Don't eat this after today.”

“Use By”

This one deserves more attention.

For certain foods, a use-by date can relate to safety, so it's important to follow the manufacturer's guidance rather than assuming every date label works the same way.

So Can You Just Ignore the Date?

Not exactly.

The date is only one piece of the puzzle.

How the food was stored matters too.

A refrigerated product that has been consistently kept at the proper temperature is very different from one that has been sitting out for hours.

Packaging matters as well.

If a can is badly swollen, leaking, or damaged, that's a reason to be cautious regardless of the printed date.

And if something looks or smells unusual, don't assume the date makes it safe—or unsafe.

A Better Habit at the Grocery Store

Instead of automatically throwing everything away when you see a date approaching, take a moment to understand what kind of date you're looking at.

You can also organize your refrigerator so older products are toward the front.

That little habit is sometimes called “first in, first out.”

It makes it much easier to notice food before it gets forgotten.

When in Doubt, Don't Guess

There are some foods where appearance and smell aren't reliable indicators of safety.

For those, follow food-safety guidance rather than relying on a quick sniff test.

The goal isn't to keep every food forever.

It's simply to avoid throwing away perfectly usable food because a label looks scary—while also knowing when a date or storage history means it's time to let something go.

A little label knowledge can save both food and money. 💡