By continuing to use this site you consent to our Access to and use of this website is subject to our Approved Food ® is a registered trademark of Approved Food. ""We test for total bacteria we can find and then we specifically try to find individual nasties that might be hidden, things like salmonellas, bacillus and staphylococcus — all the things you would find if someone has been handling the food in the wrong way. Best before dates appear on a wide range of foods including:The best before date will only be accurate if the food is stored according to the instructions on the packaging.If you are supplying people with packaged food from a food bank, you still need to check and follow the use by dates.Giving out food after its ‘use by’ date puts people at risk, and could lead to enforcement action being taken against the food bank.Get into the habit of checking what you already have in the fridge and freezer before you go shopping. However, when this date has passed, the food may lose some of its freshness and flavour, or its texture may have changed. Foods with expired sell by dates can still be at their best quality and safe to eat if stored properly. The dates are not required by law and do not relate to food safety.Sell by and display by dates were originally included on foods in the form of codes that weren?t explicit with the pure aim of aiding stock rotation. Best before dates are concerned with quality rather than safety, so it doesn't mean that the food is dangerous if the date has passed. Food standards relate to a food product's: 1. quality 2. composition 3. labelling 4. presentation 5. advertising Food standards also relate to how a product is advertised andthe materials or articles in contact with it. Best before dates should be used as a rough guide to help you get a sense of how old the food is. A sniff and taste test is the best way to do this.Food that has passed its use-by date is not safe to eat.Best before dates are an indicative guide of when the quality of food or drink will start to change. Here are a few recent reviews on food quality:Use by dates relate to the safety of the food. They are not to do with safety. A lot of foods, including meat and milk, can be frozen before the use-by date though so plan ahead. Selling foods that are past the best-before dates It is not illegal to sell a product if its best-before date has passed. When making decisions as to whether to eat “out of date” food you can ignore both sell by and display until dates. There is no reason to throw away food that goes past its best before date, it is perfectly safe to eat and will often taste just as good.If you want to reduce your food waste footprint, don?t throw out food just because it has passed its best before! A best-by date denotes the optimal period of time during which the manufacturer feels that their product will retain its original quality.
Report a problem with food that you've bought to the local authority. The best before date, sometimes shown as BBE (best before end), is about quality and not safety. Sell By Date ‘Sell by’ dates are intended to serve as a guideline for grocers to sell the manufacturers products. You shouldn?t eat food that has gone past its use-by date as it may be unsafe.The sell by and display until date is only relevant to shops and supermarkets; it?s not designed to pass information to the consumer. The dates you want to pay attention to are best before and use by.Food that has passed its best before is safe to eat, but the flavour and texture may change over time. Additionally, the manufacturer may call this the “Best if Used By” date, the “Best By” date or some similar wording. Food producers and manufacturers have a legal obligation to include either a best before or use-by date on their food. This is the most important date to remember. Food producers will undertake testing in conditions that replicate possible food storage conditions and measure the impact on specific products, monitoring things like bacterial growth, as well as undertaking taste and quality tests to help establish a suitable best before date.All food sold by Approved Food will have undergone this rigorous testing and comply with necessary requirements, meaning it is entirely safe to consume.This site uses cookies. ""Shops are allowed to sell food after its best before date has passed. I think we definitely waste too much food in this country. Use your own common sense and preferences to assess it. Best before dates are about quality. Foods can be eaten until the use by date but not after. The food will be safe to eat after this date but may not be at its best. Find out more about freezing and defrosting food.Once food has been defrosted, use it within 24 hours and cook it until Understanding 'best before' and 'use by' dates on food labels and how you must treat them differently.What you need to do when starting and running a food business.The legal requirements when labelling food and drink products for businesses and manufacturers. The food could be unsafe to eat or drink, even if it has been stored correctly and looks and smells fine. There are only a few products that actually require an expiration date, and you probably don't even buy them - meal replacements, supplements, baby formula, pharmacist-sold foods and formulated liquid diets. "Do not eat anything after its use-by date; however, you can safely eat food after its best before date. If people were more confident about what date labels mean they'd get round to eating more of their food rather than throwing it away. It could still be contaminated.You cannot see, smell or taste the bacteria that cause food poisoning.Food properly frozen won’t deteriorate and bacteria cannot grow in it, so when frozen it can’t become more unsafe.
How are food dates worked out? To find out how food changes in taste and texture over time, visit our product specific pages detailing how long after the best before date you can eat different foods. It is safe to eat so you won?t cause yourself any harm and you can decide for yourself whether the taste is good enough for you.Remember that foods taste different in recipes too. For example, if the instructions on the packaging tell you to refrigerate after opening, you should keep the food in a fridge at 5°C or below.