Field guide · date labels

Use-by is about safety. Best-before is about quality.

Learn which date concerns safety, which concerns quality, and why storage instructions still matter.

Illustrative artwork

The words on the package matter more than a photograph of the food. Use-by and best-before answer different questions. This guide follows UK Food Standards Agency advice on GOV.UK; date rules and wording can differ elsewhere. Source: GOV.UK date labels.

Read the exact date mark

A use-by date is a safety limit for foods that can become unsafe over time. Do not eat a food after its use-by date simply because it looks or smells fine. Storage instructions matter too: food kept incorrectly may become unsafe before that date. Follow any instruction for keeping it chilled or using it after opening. Source: GOV.UK date labels.

Two date stamps, two meanings. Use-by concerns safety. Best-before concerns quality. These labels are illustrative.

What best-before tells you

A best-before date tells you when a product may start to lose quality. After it, the food is usually still safe to eat, though taste or texture may have changed, provided it has been stored properly. GOV.UK says sight, smell or taste can help you decide whether a food past its best-before date is still acceptable. That sensory check does not replace a use-by date. Source: GOV.UK date labels.

The permitted check. Read the words on the pack first. Follow a use-by safety limit; for best-before, consider storage and quality.

Planning to cook or freeze it

GOV.UK says food cooked or frozen on or before its use-by date can be eaten later under its handling guidance. If you cook it by that date, cool it, refrigerate it and eat it within 48 hours or freeze it. If you freeze it by that date, follow the package's freezing and defrosting instructions; use it within 24 hours after defrosting. These are UK FSA rules, not a global rule for every food and storage situation. Source: GOV.UK date labels.

A small package-to-freezer timeline. Freeze food on or before its use-by date, follow the defrosting instructions, and use it within 24 hours after defrosting under the cited UK guidance.

What an image cannot settle

A photo cannot reveal a package's date mark, how a food was stored, or when it was opened. Food Says Hi can help describe a likely dish; it cannot certify whether a particular item is safe to eat. Use the actual pack and handling history. When in doubt about a safety date, do not ask an image to make the call.