Best-by and use-by dates

A quality date

According to the FDA, a use-by date means the manufacturer recommends using the product by that date for the best flavor or quality; it is not a food safety date. After it, a product may change in taste, color, texture or nutrient content, but may be wholesome and safe long after that date.¹

The exception is infant formula and some baby foods, which must be used by the use-by date on the package.¹

Nebraska Extension makes the same point about "Best if Used By" dates: a food past that date has not necessarily gone bad or become unsafe. Manufacturers apply date labels at their own discretion, most often to show how long the food should keep its best quality and flavor.²

It suggests checking pantry foods that are past that date, and not eating them if they have changed noticeably in color, consistency or texture. The only food federal law requires to carry a date, it adds, is infant formula, which should not be bought or used after its use-by date.²

How far past the date

University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension says dates on almost all food products are quality dates, and gives limits past the package date: up to 2 years for food in cans or jars, and up to 6 months for bakery mixes and for juice.³

For the refrigerator, it says eggs kept refrigerated can be cooked and eaten for up to 5 weeks after the date stamped on the carton, and that yogurt, sour cream and buttermilk should be used within 3 weeks of the date on the package. It also says to inspect products and discard them if signs of spoilage appear.³

The FDA storage chart says product dates are not a guide for safe use, and suggests buying products before their sell-by or expiration dates and following the chart instead.⁴

Where the FDA is stricter

The FDA refrigerator thermometer page gives a stricter rule: if food is past its use-by date, discard it, and when in doubt, throw it out.⁵

Utah State University Extension describes the roughly 2 year best-if-used-by date on sugars and honey as a quality date, and says they are still safe to use when lumpy or crystallized.⁶