Decoding Food Date Labels: Understanding Sell-By, Use-By, and Best-By Dates
Decoding Food Date Labels: Understanding Sell-By, Use-By, and Best-By Dates
Food waste is a pressing issue affecting households across the United States. It's estimated that nearly 30-40% of the country's food supply is wasted each year. This has significant environmental implications, impacts our wallets, and contributes to food insecurity. Today, I want to address a prevalent issue contributing to this problem: the confusion surrounding food date labels.
Deciphering Food Date Labels:
Sell-By Dates:
Sell-By dates, commonly found on perishables like meats, dairy, and eggs, are meant for retailers and indicate peak freshness for unopened products. These items are usually safe to consume past the Sell-By date, especially if stored properly. Once opened, however, the Sell-By date becomes irrelevant, and it's best to adhere to recommended consumption timelines.
Use-By and Best-By Dates:
Use-By and Best-By dates serve as guidelines set by manufacturers for optimal flavor and quality. These dates are often found on packaged goods like canned foods or sealed dry goods. Many of these foods remain safe and palatable beyond the labeled date.
Condiments and Shelf Life:
Even seemingly eternal fridge residents, like condiments, have their limits. Despite common belief, items like ketchup or salad dressing should be used within a reasonable timeframe, typically within a year of opening, to maintain quality and safety.
Understanding food date labels is key to reducing waste and making informed decisions about food consumption. By clearing misconceptions surrounding sell-by, use-by, and best-by dates, we can minimize unnecessary food waste and save money. Remember, these labels are not strict indicators of food safety but guidelines for quality and freshness. So before you toss that "expired" item, take a closer look and trust your senses to determine if it's still suitable for consumption. You can now combat food waste and help improve sustainability.
Real World Nutrition Refreshed: I am revitalizing and updating my archive of blogs and re-publishing them. Stay tuned as I review, update, refresh, and re-share these posts to provide you with even more valuable information on nutrition, health, and overall wellness – and keep things timely. A portion of this blog was originally posted on Nov 30, 2021 and is updated here.
