In a nutshell
- 🍽️ Understand labels: “use by” is a safety deadline (don’t eat past it), while “best before” signals quality; follow FSA guidance to reduce risk and waste.
- 🛒 Know what lasts: shelf‑stable foods (pasta, rice, tins) are often fine past best before if packaging is sound; avoid bulging or rusted cans; never eat high‑risk perishables past use by due to Listeria concerns.
- 🌡️ Control temperature: keep fridges ≤ 5°C, freezers ≈ −18°C, follow the two‑hour rule, refrigerate leftovers promptly, and reheat until piping hot throughout.
- 📦 Check integrity: damaged seals or swollen lids mean bin it; decant opened tins, store dry goods airtight, cook Lion Mark eggs thoroughly, and be stricter if pregnant, elderly, or immunocompromised.
- 🧠 Be practical: trust labels over the sniff test, plan meals around dates, label leftovers, and use storage know‑how to cut waste without gambling with health.
Households across the UK are staring down bulging cupboards and humming fridges, wondering whether those borderline yoghurts or tins deserve a reprieve. Food prices have climbed. No one wants to waste good grub. Yet no one wants a night of stomach cramps either. Nutritionists say the answer lies in understanding labels, storage, and risk. Some foods are safe well past their date; others are decidedly not. The difference between “use by” and “best before” can be the difference between a frugal win and a risky mistake. Here’s what experts, and guidance from the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA), say you should know before you tuck in.
Use By, Best Before, and Display Until: What Labels Really Mean
Those small words carry big consequences. A “use by” date is about safety, not quality. Past that date, high‑risk perishables can support dangerous pathogens like Listeria, which can grow even in the fridge. Do not eat foods past their “use by” date. By contrast, a “best before” date speaks to taste and texture. Biscuits may be softer, spices less punchy, but the food is usually safe if stored correctly and packaging remains intact. “Display until” or “sell by”? That’s for shop stock rotation, not for your plate. Trust your label literacy more than internet hacks or sniff tests. Odour can be deceiving; many microbes that cause illness don’t shout with smell.
To cut through confusion, use the matrix below. It sums up what nutritionists tell clients trying to save money without gambling on their gut.
| Label | Meaning | After Date? | Examples/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use by | Safety deadline for perishables | No | Fresh meat, fish, chilled ready meals, deli meats; risk of Listeria |
| Best before | Quality indicator | Usually | Pasta, rice, biscuits, tinned veg; check packaging integrity |
| Eggs (best before) | Quality date | Sometimes | UK Lion Mark eggs may be eaten beyond date if cooked thoroughly |
| Display/sell by | For retailers only | N/A | Ignore at home; follow “use by” or “best before” |
When in doubt, the “use by” date wins every argument. Quality can slip without danger; safety does not bargain.
Which Foods Stay Safe Longer, and Which Don’t
Not all foods age equally. Shelf‑stable staples—dried pasta, rice, flour, sugar, breakfast cereals—often outlive their best before dates if kept dry, cool, and pest‑free. Canned goods are resilient for years, but only if the can is sound. Discard bulging, dented at the seam, rusted, or leaking cans—these can signal botulism risk. Chocolate whitens (a harmless “bloom”), coffee dulls, spices fade; these are quality dips, not safety hazards. Bread that’s stale is fine for toast; bread with mould is not—mould roots go deeper than you think.
High‑risk perishables tell a different story. Soft cheeses, chilled pâté, deli meats, pre‑washed salads, and ready‑to‑eat seafood should never be eaten past use by. They’re ideal environments for pathogens that don’t always smell “off”. Yoghurt can be forgiving for a day or two past date if unopened and cold, but once opened it becomes more vulnerable; trust storage and look for visible spoilage. UK Lion Mark eggs can be used a bit beyond their date when cooked thoroughly until yolks and whites are firm; for vulnerable groups—pregnant, elderly, immunocompromised—it’s prudent to be stricter.
Packaging matters. Vacuum‑packed meats extend shelf life, but only within use by limits. Tins or jars, once opened, switch to the clock on the label: “Consume within X days.” Transfer leftovers to clean, sealed containers and refrigerate promptly. Compromised packaging transforms a low‑risk food into a high‑risk one.
How Nutritionists Assess Risk at Home: A Practical Checklist
Start with the label. Identify use by versus best before. If it’s “use by” and the date has passed, the decision is easy: bin it. If it’s “best before”, judge storage history and packaging integrity. That means a cool cupboard, dry conditions, no tears, no swelling, and lids that still “pop” on opening. If you can’t vouch for storage, you can’t vouch for safety.
Then consider temperature. Keep fridges at or below 5°C and freezers at around −18°C. Mind the two‑hour rule: perishable foods should not sit in the “danger zone” (above 5°C) for more than two hours in total before eating or chilling. Leftovers? Cool quickly, refrigerate within two hours, and eat within two days; reheat until piping hot throughout. People love the “sniff test”, but nutritionists remind us that pathogens like Listeria and some strains of E. coli don’t always announce themselves. Smell and sight help with quality; they’re not safety guarantees.
Now check the “once opened” guidance. Tinned foods should be decanted into a clean, sealed container—open metal can interiors can affect flavour and quality. Dry goods are generally fine beyond date if dry and uninfested; sift for weevils, clumping, or damp. For eggs, a float test can flag old age (a floater is older), but age isn’t the same as safety—thorough cooking is the safety net. If you’re pregnant, elderly, very young, or immunocompromised, be conservative and stick closely to dates and heating advice. Saving money is smart; gambling with health isn’t.
Eating “expired” food can be both sensible and safe—when “expired” means best before and storage has been sound. It can also be a poor bet when the clock reads use by on high‑risk chilled foods. The sweet spot is knowledge: labels, temperatures, and a little common sense. That knowledge cuts waste, trims bills, and keeps your gut happy. Use dates as tools, not riddles. With that in mind, what’s one change you’ll make this week—clearer fridge labelling, better storage, or a smarter plan for using perishables before the deadline?
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