The Dating Game – Food Dating, That Is

by Susan Davis on 05/05/09 at 10:08 am

Best By Dates, Can you Trust Them?

With all the recent news and discussions about potentially tainted food products, consumers are paying more attention to the dates stamped on various fresh, canned and frozen items and wondering what it all means.  Does a container of yogurt automatically turn into a toxic substance the day after the date stamped on the side?  Will a loaf of bread become green and moldy if you don’t eat it by the time the “Sell by” date rolls around?

What about jumbled letters and numbers stamped on cans and boxes stored in your cabinets? Only aliens from outer space can crack those codes. Then there’s the peanut butter that you’ve stashed away in case of a terrorist attack and the granola bars that seemed like such a bargain when you bought them on sale three years ago.

Should you be eating food that’s older than your kids?  Or even older than you?

Almost every food product you buy – bagged produce, packaged meat, frozen vegetables, even soda and water, comes with a date stamped on the package.  It may display a “Sell by date,” a “Use Before date” or a “Use By date.”  There may even be packages stamped with a “Discard after date.”  Despite all of the efforts to provide this information to consumers, you may be surprised to discover that there is no law governing food dating in the United States, although more than 20 states have enacted legislation requiring it on food sold within their borders.

The only Federal regulations that exist with regard to food dating are for baby foods and baby formula.

Another case of the government pretending to look out for our well-being, I guess.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture,  food dating is done in conjunction with the manufacturer of the product to let consumers know the window of time when the food will be of optimum quality in terms of taste and texture.  So even though these dates are just advisory, they still provide important information about product freshness.

To demystify food dating, here are the definitions and their meanings:

Sell By
This date tells the store how long to display the product for sale.  Consumers should purchase the product before the date expires. Bread, milk, meat, poultry and cheese frequently have “sell by” dating.

Best if Used By (or Use Before)
This date is recommended for the best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.  This is the manufacturer’s recommended time span for best flavor, taste, quality or texture of a product. If the item is stored properly, eating it after the “use before” date is not an issue.  You’ll find these on cereal boxes, crackers, mayonnaise, and most shelf-stable foods.

Use-By
This date is the last date recommended day for the use of the product while at peak quality. The date has been determined by the manufacturer of the product.  Use By” refers to the date after which the products will lose peak quality. This has nothing to do with safety, but the overall texture, taste and consistency of a product. You’ll find these dates on cream cheese, prepared puddings, cottage cheese, yogurt, and eggs. If stored correctly, most of these foods are completely safe to eat for quite some time after the date. Eggs are a good example. If “Use by May 27″ is stamped on a carton of eggs, you can safely use the eggs for 3 to 5 weeks after that date. The difference you’ll see is the yolk will break more easily and the white will be runnier, but the eggs are safe and their nutritional quality intact.

Expires or EXP
Similar to “Use by” and most often stamped on eggs cartons.  This means this is the last day that the eggs can be sold in the store and the last day the distributor deems the product at peak quality and performance.

Do Not Use After date
This is the last date the product should be consumed. It might read, “Do not use after September 2009.”  Most often used on baby foods, formula, medications and vitamin supplements.

“Pack” date or “package” date
This is the date the food was packaged or processed. With this information, consumers can decide which package is fresher. Some fresh meat and seafood products are labeled with a pack date. Do not buy a product packaged three days ago when a package is available that was packed today.

Closed or coded date
These are packing numbers for use by the manufacturer to track shipments and production runs in case of recalls.  These numbers usually appear on canned and boxed products that are considered shelf-stable, meaning they have a long lifespan.

Consumers should store food products in the recommended type of environment to get the longest shelf life possible and use common sense when it’s time to eat

Here are some recommendations about food dating and food usage:

• Buy foods before their expiration, use by, or sell by dates.
• Use foods by their recommended use before date.
• Don’t purchase bulging or dented cans, or any product that has been opened.
• Once defrosted, regardless of the date, use the food within 3 days.
• If a food is kept frozen, even if the date expires, the food is safe to eat.
• Every six months, check for “lost” items pushed to the back of your cupboard.
• All foods will lose freshness or spoil if stored improperly. Keep cold foods cold, and dry foods dry.
• If a product smells funny or has something growing on it, throw it away!

The following chart shows recommended storage times for fresh meat and poultry items.

The following chart shows recommended storage times for processed products.