Use by dates indicate when a product may no longer be safe to eat. Best before dates are an indication of quality rather than safety. You can still eat food after its best before date, but its flavour and texture is most likely not as good as before the date.

Whats the difference between best before and best by?

The use by date is usually used for products with a very short shelf life, such as meat, dairy and ready-made salads. Best before refers to quality. The food will be at its best quality before the date printed, and will start to deteriorate after it.

How long after best by date is something good?

For sell-by dates that go past at home, you can continue to store the food for a short amount of time depending on what it is. Some common products are: ground meat and poultry (1-2 days past the date), beef (3-5 days past the date), eggs (3-5 weeks past the date). If youre concerned about food safety, use your nose.