Making Sense Out of Food Expiration Dates

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Different products at groceries stores use different expiry dates and makes the shopper confused when dealing with so many terminologies.

Some labels have such a small font size you need a magnifying glass to find and read it. Some packages have expiry dates such as “Best if used by 5/4” which doesn’t mention the year, and sometimes a label comes from Europe where it's not clear if the first number represents the day of the month or the month itself. Thanks to the government, these dates are as confusing as their policies.

However, there are some standards to list ingredients on a label that some don’t follow. Honestly, the government should set some guidelines so everyone follows the same rules.

In recent news, Gomestic.com has just published a list of terminologies and their meanings. Some are straight forward in meaning, while others are confusing:

Use by, Best if used by, or a Quality Assurance date:

Previously, we assumed is the date by which we should consume the product. But the actual meaning is it will be still fine to eat, but it won’t be as nutritious after that date. For products in this category, try to consume products before then if you want the full nutrition advertised in the box.

Sell by or Pull date:

These dates are meant for the retailer so they can sell a product by that date. It doesn’t mean the product will go bad. Also, it gives a hint to stock these items in the front and put newer items behind them. Usually you will see this with milk, which usually lasts more than a week after the expiry date.

Pack or Package Date:

This is usually found in the meat section where they cut or grind fresh meat. It simply indicates the date it was packed and doesn’t give any information about how long it will last. In my opinion, retailers should be forced to put the actual expiry date of the meat so it's not confusing.

Born On date:

Beer usually uses this term. Anheuser-Bush started using this terminology to say how fresh their beer is, as they claim their beers are fresh for 110 days after this “Born On” date.

Coded date:

This is like a bar code found on products. It indicates where it was manufactured, when, and other important information. In case of recalls, a retailer users this information to identify and quickly deal with bad products. It doesn't specify how long a product will last.

Use by, or Expiration date:

Food should not be consumed after this date, as it's not safe. It is best to discard the product after this expiry date.

Freshness date:

This is similar the “Best if used by” terminology; after this date it doesn’t retain freshness, but again, it doesn’t say much about how long a product will last. You usually see this terminology with breads.

After reviewing this list, I really wish food companies could keep it simple so we can follow dates easily. It's a confusing mess otherwise.

Do you find these terms confusing?