Know your dates

Use By Date is about safety 

Use By Dates relate to the food’s safety and are the most important date to remember! Foods can be eaten (and most can be frozen) up until the Use By Date, but not after. You will see Use By Dates on food that goes off quickly, such as meat products or ready-prepared salads. For the Use By to be a valid guide, you must carefully follow storage instructions. 

Best Before Date is about quality 

Best Before Dates relate to the quality of the food, not its safety. I.e., the food will be safe to eat after this date but may not be at its best in terms of texture or flavour. However, in many instances, food will taste the same after its Best Before Date. In some cases, these foods can be given a new lease of life with a quick culinary transformation. For example, vegetables that are bendy or withered can be cooked. Bread that is a little stale can be toasted. Biscuits that are a little soft can be put into puddings and cheese can be trimmed down or melted. 

The Best Before Dates appear on a wide range of fresh, frozen, dried and tinned foods. Like the Use By Date, the Best Before Date will only be accurate if the food is stored according to the instructions on the label and your fridge is at the correct temperature.

Four foods with “Best Before” dates and what to do with them:

Bakery items and confectionary

• biscuits, chocolates and confectionary can be used in a new dessert (tiffin, cheesecake base, refrigerator cake)
• bread can be toasted, made into breadcrumbs, croutons, crisps or classic dishes like Panzanella or Fattoush, or less conventional lasagnas or savoury steamed dishes
• croissants and buns make a luxury bread and butter or summer puddings
• flour is another common item with a Best Before Date, If it looks a normal colour and texture then it is fine to eat

Fruit and vegetables

• you should be able to clearly see and feel when fruit and veg are past their best
• you can cut around imperfections
• soak fruit or veg in a bowl of water or cook lightly to add extra life

Cheese

• many cheeses come with a Best Before Date
• moulds added to cheese to either create their rind, change their colour, taste or texture, will continue to grow but that doesn’t mean the cheese is not in good health
• most naturally occurring moulds that grow after a Best Before Date can either be simply scraped or cut off

Frozen food 

• you can freeze virtually all foods
• food can remain frozen indefinitely and technically be safe to eat, as bacteria will not grow
• however, over time all frozen food will deteriorate in quality and may become un-appetising to eat when defrosted
• the time it takes for this deterioration to happen varies between foods