Use-By & Best-Before Dates

Why you need it

A use-by date is about safety: food can look and smell fine after it and still make someone ill. You must not use, sell or serve food once its use-by date has passed.

Best-before is about quality, and staff often mix the two up. A clear rule on the wall stops unsafe food being used and good food being thrown away.

What it’s for

The difference between use-by and best-before, why you read the date together with the storage instructions, how after-opening instructions can shorten shelf life, and cooking or freezing suitable food before its use-by. It belongs by your fridges and in the dry store.

How to use it

1. Print it on A4, laminate it, and put it up where staff check dates, such as the walk-in or the dry-store door.
2. Check use-by dates at opening and during stock checks, and remove anything that has passed.
3. Once a pack is open, follow its after-opening instructions even when the printed date is later.
4. If you freeze food before its use-by, record the new storage instructions and the agreed shelf life.
5. Teach new staff that smelling or tasting food never tells you whether it is safe.