Why ‘Sell By’, ‘Use By’, & ‘Best Before’ Dates Matter
When playing the “is it still good?” or “is it still OK to eat?” game with your food and its shelf life (refrigerator or not), it’s fairly easy to jump to your own conclusions about what ‘Sell by’, ‘Use by’, ‘Best Before’, and ‘Best if Used by’ dates mean. For example, one may fear that they will get food poisoning and drop dead if eating something after the ‘use by’ date, but not feel the same fears about the exact same product if it had the same date on it, but was instead stamped with ‘sell by’. But what does each guideline really mean? And is it really safe to eat the food after the use or sell by dates versus throwing it away?
Food Waste is an Expensive & Wasteful Problem
Why does it matter? Americans are tossing out at least $161 billion in food each year. The average American family throws away 40% of their food. Food is the 3rd largest expense category for American households (trailing only housing and transportation), on average. With off-the-charts grocery price inflation in recent years, we’re talking about thousands of dollars every year in meats, fruit, vegetables and grain products that goes into the trash/compost bin.
That’s a lot of money and a lot of waste. Cutting this waste would save you money, lower overall food prices, and lead to a significant reduction in carbon impact and other environmental damage. And knowing what shelf-life dates mean is the first step in cutting food waste.
Federal Regulation on Food Shelf-Life Dating is Lacking
Believe it or not, food dating is only required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety & Inspection Service (FSIS) in the United States for baby infant formula and some baby foods, in the form of a ‘use by’ date. Other than that, there is no uniform food shelf life dating system. Past date sales regulations only exist in 21 states. However, many states have no food dating regulations at all. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t some consistencies and rules that you should follow around food shelf life.
Use By Date, or “Shelf Life” Definition
A ‘use by’ date is the product manufacturer’s recommended date to use the product in order to still get peak product quality, with a safety component as well. After that date, the product quality could decline, and if proper storage measures aren’t used, your health could be at risk.
Many manufacturers voluntarily include ‘use by’ dates because they want their customers to experience their food at its highest quality, in order to grow customer loyalty. They also serve as a “we told you so” warning if you consume the food or drink after the date and it has gone bad.
It is generally recommended that you use a product by its ‘use by’ date. However, products can be kept for much longer periods if refrigerated below 40 degrees F or frozen.
Best if Used By Date / Best Before Date Definition
‘Best if used by’ date, aka the ‘best before’ date are recommended use dates as determined by the manufacturer to get the highest quality version of the product, but are not aligned to food safety dates as ‘use by’ and ‘sell by’ dates are.
Sell By Date Definition
‘Sell by’ dates are intended to serve as a guideline for grocers to sell the manufacturers products by. Foods with expired sell by dates can still be at their best quality and safe to eat if stored properly. However, as a consumer, it might be wise to buy inventory at your grocer that has a further out ‘sell by’ date versus one that has already expired or is close to it.
There might also be an opportunity to bargain with grocers to get a lower price on foods that are at or past their ‘sell by’ date. Many grocers automatically mark down foods that are approaching the ‘sell by’ date, and it never hurts to ask those who do not for a discount.
Sell By Storage Guidelines
Here are some FSIS Guidelines for refrigerated product sell by dates. FSIS recommends that you follow ‘use by’ dates, and recommends freezing or cooking the fresh foods by the following timelines:
| Food | Type | Refrigerator [40°F (4°C) or below] | Freezer [0°F (-18°C) or below] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salad | Egg, chicken, ham, tuna, and macaroni salads | 3 to 4 days | Does not freeze well |
| Hot dogs | Opened package | 1 week | 1 to 2 months |
| Unopened package | 2 weeks | 1 to 2 months | |
| Luncheon meat | Opened package or deli sliced | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Unopened package | 2 weeks | 1 to 2 months | |
| Bacon and sausage | Bacon | 1 week | 1 month |
| Sausage, raw, from chicken, turkey, pork, or beef | 1 to 2 days | 1 to 2 months | |
| Sausage, fully cooked, from chicken, turkey, pork, or beef | 1 week | 1 to 2 months | |
| Sausage, purchased frozen | After cooking, 3-4 days | 1-2 months from date of purchase | |
| Hamburger, ground meats and ground poultry | Hamburger, ground beef, turkey, chicken, other poultry, veal, pork, lamb, and mixtures of them | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 4 months |
| Fresh beef, veal, lamb, and pork | Steaks | 3 to 5 days | 4 to 12 months |
| Chops | 3 to 5 days | 4 to 12 months | |
| Roasts | 3 to 5 days | 4 to 12 months | |
| Ham | Fresh, uncured, uncooked | 3 to 5 days | 6 months |
| Fresh, uncured, cooked | 3 to 4 days | 3 to 4 months | |
| Cured, cook-before-eating, uncooked | 5 to 7 days or “use by” date | 3 to 4 months | |
| Fully-cooked, vacuum-sealed at plant, unopened | 2 weeks or “use by” date | 1 to 2 months | |
| Cooked, store-wrapped, whole | 1 week | 1 to 2 months | |
| Cooked, store-wrapped, slices, half, or spiral cut | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 2 months | |
| Country ham, cooked | 1 week | 1 month | |
| Canned, labeled “Keep Refrigerated,” unopened | 6 to 9 months | Do not freeze | |
| Canned, shelf-stable, opened
Note: An unopened, shelf-stable, canned ham can be stored at room temperature for 2 years. |
3 to 4 days | 1 to 2 months | |
| Prosciutto, Parma or Serrano ham, dry Italian or Spanish type, cut | 2 to 3 months | 1 month | |
| Fresh poultry | Chicken or turkey, whole | 1 to 2 days | 1 year |
| Chicken or turkey, pieces | 1 to 2 days | 9 months | |
| Fin Fish | Fatty Fish (bluefish, catfish, mackerel, mullet, salmon, tuna, etc.) | 1 – 3 Days | 2 – 3 Months |
| Lean Fish (cod, flounder, haddock, halibut, sole, etc.) | 6 – 8 Months | ||
| Lean Fish (pollock, ocean perch, rockfish, sea trout.) | 4 – 8 Months | ||
| Shellfish | Fresh Crab Meat | 2 – 4 Days | 2 – 4 Months |
| Fresh Lobster | 2 – 4 Days | 2 – 4 Months | |
| Live Crab, Lobster | 1 day . | Not recommended | |
| Live Clams, Mussels, Oysters, and Scallops | 5 – 10 Days | Not recommended | |
| Shrimp, Crayfish | 3 – 5 Days | 6 – 18 Months | |
| Shucked Clams, Mussels, Oysters, and Scallops | 3 – 10 Days | 3 – 4 Months | |
| Squid | 1 – 3 Days | 6 – 18 Months | |
| Eggs | Raw eggs in shell | 3 to 5 weeks | Do not freeze in shell. Beat yolks and whites together, then freeze. |
| Raw egg whites and yolks
Note: Yolks do not freeze well |
2 to 4 days | 12 months | |
| Raw egg accidentally frozen in shell
Note: Toss any frozen eggs with a broken shell |
Use immediately after thawing | Keep frozen, then refrigerate to thaw |
|
| Hard-cooked eggs | 1 week | Do not freeze | |
| Egg substitutes, liquid, unopened | 1 week | Do not freeze | |
| Egg substitutes, liquid, opened | 3 days | Do not freeze | |
| Egg substitutes, frozen, unopened | After thawing, 1 week or refer to “use by” date | 12 months | |
| Egg substitutes, frozen, opened | After thawing, 3 to 4 days or refer to “use by” date | Do not freeze | |
| Casseroles with eggs | After baking, 3 to 4 days | After baking, 2 to 3 months | |
| Eggnog, commercial | 3 to 5 days | 6 months | |
| Eggnog, homemade | 2 to 4 days | Do not freeze | |
| Pies: Pumpkin or pecan | After baking, 3 to 4 days | After baking, 1 to 2 months | |
| Pies: Custard and chiffon | After baking, 3 to 4 days | Do not freeze | |
| Quiche with filling | After baking, 3 to 5 days | After baking, 2 to 3 months | |
| Soups and stews | Vegetable or meat added | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Leftovers | Cooked meat or poultry | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 6 months |
| Chicken nuggets or patties | 3 to 4 days | 1 to 3 months | |
| Pizza | 3 to 4 days | 1 to 2 months |
Using Common Sense on Shelf-Life
These are some great guidelines, but it also pays to use some common sense guidelines around food expiration:
- If you’re not going to eat something within a few days of cooking it, then freeze it.
- If it smells bad, don’t eat it.
- If it looks bad, don’t eat it.
- If it has mold on it, don’t eat it.
- If it is perishable, at least refrigerate it.
- Perishable food does not respond well to air. Keep things covered and sealed.
- Wash your hands before touching perishable foods
What is the Best Refrigerator Temperature to Extend Food Shelf Life & Keep it Fresh?
Food will freeze at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Bacteria like salmonella and various molds can easily grow at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and above. The ideal refrigerator temperature is somewhere in between. A number of experts put the ideal refrigerator temperature to extend food life and freshness at 36 or 37 degrees Fahrenheit.
How do you know what your refrigerator’s temperature is? A number of refrigerators will have thermometers built in, but most do not and have a few different settings. I would recommend purchasing your own refrigerator thermometer (example here) so that you can really dial in to the ideal temperature. Make sure to put the thermometer somewhere in the middle of the refrigerator, away from the cooling vents.
Shelf Life Discussion:
- What rules do you follow around shelf life?
- Do you ever bargain with grocers if a food is at or has passed its ‘sell by’ date. What kind of response do you get?
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For certain things, such as medication, I won’t mess around, but for common foods, I follow the same common sense guidelines as you. You can’t always trust the date, either, since there are some foods that often spoil before their date, like most dairy products. Other products, like chips, can be eaten beyond their date, at the risk of being stale. ;)
Educations are generally fine to take when expired. They just sometimes begin to lose some potency but still work.
Oops…medications*
@Kevin – I’ve heard that drug companies are very modest on their expiration dates b/c they want you buying more (when in reality, they might be good for much longer). But I’m not a doctor.
@BIFS – You’re right. As a general rule of thumb, meats, seafood, and dairy are the ones you really need to be careful with the most.
I just wanted to mention, in case some did not know, that medications are good at least up to one year past their “expiration” date. the only thing that may happen is as time passes there is a reduction in its strength and therefor a reduction in its efficacy. When I was still working as a Nurse, we did have to mark any samples with a date and we would pull them from our sample cabinet BUT either employees took them home or we would donate them. The only time we would not do that was if the product had a recall and then we would pull what ever lot numbers that were recalled and send them back to the company and also if any lots numbers had been given to a patient we contacted them and had them bring them in etc (and I was the one that implemented the log sheet of whom we dispensed samples to along with the product name and lot number just for that reason, before I did that no one ever knew who was given what) so just a helpful FYI I hope :)
Thanks for that good tip. Of course this is if they are stored properly. If they are in the car’s glove box in the summer time – not stored properly.
Too many people flush these down the toilet. The US Drinking water standards don’t test for these chemicals in waste water or down-stream in the next drinking water plant. Please don’t flush.
I don’t mess around with meat or milk…any indications at all of being spoiled, and it gets thrown away. I will admit that a tiny little spot of mold on cheese will just get cut off…I mean, cheese is inherently spoiled anyway, right?
Growing up, I had 8 siblings & Mom would shop once every 2 weeks. Near the end of that two weeks, some of the foods started to get funky – milk, lunch meat, cheese. But we just used the smell test – kinda off-smelling was still OK to eat. Either that or you wait for dinner (long wait from breakfast). I still use my sniffer in conjunction with the date, but I’m no longer willing to consume “kinda off-smelling”. I can afford it now.
I am pretty cheap though when it comes to perishable foods – I do not overbuy & I buy meats on sale & freeze them.
It’s true that we as a people do waste a lot of food. That’s why we don’t feel too bad about throwing away something we’ve lost track of… to our chicken. She later gives it back to us in the form of an egg.
I’m curious most of all if OP is correct about date labeling of vitamins. I’ve always suspected they might still be good past their dates, but I never can tell for sure.
WHEN IT COMES TO VITAMINS, MEDS, ETC, IF IT IS PAST SELL, USE BUY DATE, SMELL CONTENTS; IF VINERGARY, TOSS, ALSO TAKE ONE PILL, BETWEEN 2 FINGERS; IF IT’S POWDERY, OR CRUSHES VERY EASILY TOSS;
OTHERWISE IT’S(THE DATE) IS JUST A GIMMICK BY THE DRUG COMPANIES. MOST SCRIPTS HAVE EXACT AMOUNT U SHOULD TAKE IN A MONTH (OR 3)
On the food waste issue. A lot of that could be avoided if they sold things in smaller quantities. If you are single or married without kids it is extremeley difficult to get through, for example, an entire loaf of bread before it goes bad. I end up throwing out about a 1/4 of a loaf most times becuase bread has such short shelf life and a loaf is to large to finish for just me and the husband.
Felicia,
Check out those “bread bags” that they have in the “as seen on tv” sections. They REALLY do work! I’ve put them in those and then inside one of the hard plastic bread containers (maybe from WalMart) and you wouldn’t believe how much longer the bread lasts.
For the bread to be to much to consume before it goes bad I just freeze it. I will buy more then one loaf if on sale. Loaf I am using I keep in the fridge. I know it is said to keep bread out of fridge, but what is one to do. The texture is a tinch more dense but when it comes to saving $ it is fine by me. When you take it out of the freezer, take a paper towel and shove it in the package so it covers the whole length of the bread and the sides some, have the bread laying on the paper towel side (bottom) with bag open (oops, leave bread in its bag), when thawed remove paper towels and put in fridge. When you think about it so many things you are told not to put in fridge just keep on the counter, bread, tomatoes, fruits, etc. I put it all in the fridge, even potatoes and bananas. Bananas the skin will turn black but the fruit is still good. I use less gas having to go out and get more and I am not wasting food, it is all still really good. Also a good idea to wash all skin/peel covered fruits & veggies before putting in the fridge, be sure to dry well and then let air dry (cooking cooling rack does well for this) more before putting in the fridge. Hope this helps. Have a good day.
Buying bulk and repackaging is easy! Guess single people want GitGrup delivered to the door and now the Ring camera lock lets people unlock the door so they can bring in the food directly to the couch.
Why doesn’t the idiotic FDA//USDA get their acts together and simplify this labeling and guidelines. Millions of pounds/gallons of perfectly good food/dairy products get thrown out every day due to confusion costing consumers large sums of money. A large number of people don’t know what to look/smell for, geeze many would think limburger cheese was bad but thats how it smells. I grew up in the 50’s and as the years went by you “NEVER HEARD OF E-COLI” but then again human waste fertilizer (Mexico-yes its a fact) was never used then. Animals weren’t pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones then they came along as did DDT/MALITHION AND OTHER NASTY CHEMICALS! NOW WE HAVE GMO’S AND WHAT WILL BE ITS LONG TERM EFFECTS?? Foster farms chicken recalls,e-coli vegetable recalls,fish loaded with mercury due to polluted oceans and waterways, on & on and a lot of it is not properly inspected due to government cutbacks but we have $125,000,000,000 for a new aircraft carrier that we don’t need!
BROVO!
I had a box of crackers, Mac and cheese, pancake mix and I think instant potatoes that had just expired and offered to drop it off at a collection center/sort of food bank and they had to refuse all of it (I had maybe a 13 gallon bag full)) because it was expired. I mean it expired say for ie. Dec. 2017 and I offered it to them January 4, 2018. I was so bummed. Why were we getting rid of all this food barely expired you might be thinking…. Two of us were diagnosed with Celiac disease and made the whole house gluten free. In hindsight we have learned that we didnt all need to be GF and with the expense of GF food we eventually went back to allowing gluten in the house and just us Celiacs eat the GF foods.
There are many applications for the calculation of the expiration date, I use it https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=info.shelflife.shelflife
Thanks. Really usefull app.
Thanks. Really usefull app.
“Sell By Storage Guidelines
Here are some FSIS Guidelines for refrigerated products sell by dates. FSIS recommends that you follow ‘use by’ dates, and recommends freezing or cooking the fresh foods by the following timeline with ‘sell by’ or no dates.”
So, to clarify, does this mean the indicated timeline BEYOND the sell by date or beyond the date of purchase if there is no sell by date listed?
I ask for clarification because stores regularly sell chicken with sell by dates exceeding 2-3 days.
I grew up in post-war Germany. We had no fridge, we had a cellar with a screened box, where meats and perishable foods were kept. And we had large shelves where all the preserved fruit and vegetables, that my mother prepared in the summer, were kept in large glass containers with a suction ring.No food was ever discarded. Bread was kept in a bread box and my mother would make a trip to the grocer once a week or twice.
And Germany did fertilize with manure – animal and peoples. I do not remember that We ever got sick from ingesting food. But then these were very different times, and certainly most Americans, especially, the younger generation wouldn’t have a clue would I am talking about. Our food nowadays is made to spoil, so that the merchants can make more money, just as everything else we use, cars, electric machines,kitchen utilities, nothing lasts.
All that applies to all food items. I usually try to find latest date label, but I Think it is annoying , that one shops on a given day, checking the Use by date is just 2 days later. That Inthink is the biggest problem for the waste of food in America. The worst example are the restaurants that serve such amounts of food that a normal person can never finish. I have a turkey cranberry salad still in the sealed container with a use date of 11/8 and I am wondering if we can still consume this on Friday the 13th.
Correction to my previous posting: the salad date is Dec 8 use by NOT 11/8
It is not a duplicate it is a correction