Sell-By, Use-By, and Best Before: What These Dates Really Mean

Food date labels are intended to help consumers make safer, more informed choices. In practice, they often create confusion — and unnecessary waste.Understanding the difference between sell-by, use-by, and best before dates can make everyday food hygiene simpler and more confident.

Sell-By: A Retail Guideline, Not a Safety Date

A sell-by date is primarily for retailers, not consumers. It indicates how long a product should be displayed for sale to ensure stock rotation and freshness.

Once food has been purchased, the sell-by date has largely done its job. It does not mean the product is unsafe after that point, provided it has been stored correctly and handled hygienically.

For households, sell-by dates are best understood as a logistics marker, not a health warning.

Use-By: A Safety Cut-Off

A use-by date is the most important label from a safety perspective. It applies mainly to foods that can pose a health risk if consumed after a certain point, even if they look or smell fine.

Examples include:

• Fresh meat and fish

• Ready-to-eat meals

• Soft cheeses and chilled dairy products

Food should not be eaten after its use-by date. This is not about quality or taste — it is about safety. Once this date has passed, the risk of harmful bacteria increases in ways that are not always detectable by the senses.

Best Before: Quality, Not Safety

A best before date relates to quality rather than safety. It indicates when a product is expected to be at its best in terms of flavour, texture, or appearance.

Many foods are still perfectly safe to consume after their best before date, particularly:

• Dry goods

• Tinned foods

• Frozen items

In these cases, common-sense checks — such as packaging integrity, storage conditions, and signs of spoilage — are more relevant than the date alone.

Why the Confusion Persists

The overlap of these labels has led many households to treat all date markings as strict safety deadlines. This contributes to avoidable food waste and unnecessary anxiety around food hygiene.

Part of the issue is that dates are often read in isolation, without considering:

• Storage conditions

• Packaging type

• Whether the food has been opened

• How the food is handled at home

Dates provide guidance, but they are only one part of the picture.

Food Hygiene Beyond the Label

Good food hygiene does not stop at reading the date. It also includes how food is handled once it enters the home.

Simple habits make a difference:

• Washing hands before food preparation

• Keeping raw and ready-to-eat foods separate

• Cleaning surfaces and utensils regularly

• Storing food at appropriate temperatures

For fresh produce, washing fruit and vegetables before use helps remove residues from handling, transport, and storage. Products designed specifically for this purpose, such as SOPHAB® Fruit & Vegetable Wash, are intended to fit into everyday routines without adding unnecessary steps.

Reducing Waste Without Taking Risks

Understanding date labels allows households to be more confident — and more measured — in their decisions.

• Use-by dates should always be respected

• Best before dates allow for informed judgement

• Sell-by dates are largely irrelevant once food is home

This distinction helps reduce waste while maintaining safety.

Clear Information Builds Better Habits

Food labelling exists to support public safety, but clarity matters. When consumers understand what dates actually mean, hygiene becomes less about fear and more about routine, consistency, and good practice.

Clean living does not require perfection — just informed choices, sensible habits, and products that support everyday use.