Main Menu. Search field. Search button. Shelf-life: Best before and Use by Dates What is shelf-life? Access latest updates. Online Information Centre Current food safety issues which may be of interest to the food industry More about our online information centre. FSAI advice service: info fsai. How can we improve this page? Send message. Best before dates are usually displayed on products that do not require refrigeration or freezing.
For example, dry pasta, bread, tinned products, fruits and vegetables, and uncooked rice. For example: bread usually has best before dates of no more than a week, while tinned products can last for years.
The way in which you store the product also lengthens its best before life. For example: keeping it in a cool, dry place, and reducing air exposure to the product by keeping it in its original packaging or food bags. You can even refrigerate some best before products, like fruit and veg, to expand their life.
These often appear next to the use-by and best-before dates on food labelling. They are instructions for the retailers, not customers.
They do not determine the date past which it is safe to eat the food. Skip to content. Louise Petty. Food is generally safe if consumed past this date, but may have deteriorated in flavor, texture, or appearance.
Items are generally safe for consumption after this date, but may begin to lose flavor or eye appeal. This date is often used for perishable baked goods. Beyond this date, freshness is no longer guaranteed, although it may still be edible. This is the date the item was packed, most often used on canned and boxed items.
It is usually in the form of a code and not easy to decipher. Or it may be coded using Julian numbers, where January 1 would be and December 31 would be These time stamps are generally a reference to the date, time, and location of the manufacture and not be confused with expiration dates.
So all of this assumes foods are stored at the right temperature. Foods not refrigerated properly — whether at home or at the store — wont keep as long regardless of what the freshness date says. So how long are foods good after the package date?
Cooking or freezing extends the amount of time a food will keep. In other words, after the expiration date has passed, the food may not have the nutrient content as described on the label. Expiry dates are required for formulated liquid diets, foods sold by a pharmacist, meal replacements, nutritional supplements and infant formula. If a food has passed its expiration date it should be discarded and not used.
Confusion can happen with the different types of dates on packaging due to different wording. However, this date is still required to be presented in the same form and manner as a best before date, even though the wording is different. Other types of wording used include:. These different wordings are permitted to be used on food products as long as the label meets regulations and requirements.
Food businesses should be aware of these different types of wordings that might be used on packaged food products and what they mean. Food businesses must ensure that all food received and stored in the food business is checked for best before and expiry dates. It is essential that food is not only handled and stored properly, but also used within the proper time frame. The practices under this method include:. All Food Handlers in a food business, especially kitchen managers and staff, should be trained on these key food safety practices.
Food safety training is the best way to ensure that these best practices are followed. Taking the course? If you are registered for the Food Handler Certification course, login here to:. Account Login Contact Us. Canadian food safety laws and requirements can be complex and confusing.
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