‘Best before’ date on Foods – what does this mean?

Food products, just like medicines, spoil with time. This is common knowledge. However, there is a significant difference between the two. The chemical concoction used in medicines becomes poisonous after some time. That is why, there is an ‘expiry date’ after which the medicine should not be consumed and must be thrown away. Here ‘safety’ is the issue and not ‘quality’.

In contrast, food products spoil gradually and rarely become poisonous with time. They often lose their taste, aroma, and nutritional value, which means they lose their ‘quality’ over time. So here, ‘quality’ is the issue and not ‘safety’. That is why; food products do not have an ‘expiry date’. Instead, there are other dates used for them. But by not being aware of this difference, people across the world end up throwing food that is still good enough to be consumed.

Food wastage is a global epidemic today and is an offence considering how millions of people around the world are still struggling to eat two square meals a day. Countries like the US and Malaysia are top food-wasters in the world. India is not far behind. If you do not want to contribute to food wastage, and at the same time enjoy good quality food products, this article is for you.

Types of dates used on food products

Before you understand these dates, there are some things you need to know. Different food products have different shelf lives. That is, not all food-stuffs spoil at the same rate. Further, food companies use preservatives to increase the shelf life. Finally, not all countries have clear guidelines on how these dates are defined. Nor do they have strict laws to enforce compliance. It’s left to the food manufacturer to define these dates according to their experience. And for this, food companies undertake random lab tests to check for the quality.

This comes as a surprise to Indians who relocate abroad or who travel abroad often. That is why, it’s all the more important to understand what this means.

• ‘Packed on’ / ‘Closed on’ date: The date the food stuff was sealed in the container. Useful to calculate age and assess quality of the food.
• ‘Sell by’ / ‘Pull by’ date: This message is from the manufacturer to the retailer. It means that if the product is not sold by this date, the retailer should pull it off the shelf and trash it.
• ‘Best used before’ / ‘Best used by’ date: This is the date after which there will be a gradual degradation in the quality of the foodstuff. One or more of these parameters – taste, aroma, appearance and nutritional value could change after this date. After this date, food is still good enough to be consumed and need not be thrown away. However, that is exactly what people do, which is what is contributing to food-wastage.
• ‘Use by’ / ‘Do not use after’ date: This date means that the quality of food has deteriorated so much that now it’s time to trash it.

Most importantly, please note that these dates only apply to sealed containers of food. Once the packet is opened or left open to air, it will anyway deteriorate in quality.

When to eat and when to throw

So, does the above information mean that quality is the only issue, and safety does not matter? Of course not, safety does matter! So here are some tips on when food products should not be picked up from the shelf and should be reported to the retailer.

• Open packets or packets with holes: During packaging or transportation, some packets may develop damage and the retailer may not have noticed it. Such packets attract flies and rodents which makes it poisonous (rat faeces and rat urine are toxic to humans). The food inside starts spoiling or may become soggy or soft.
• Leaking or cracked cans: Same as above.
• Bloated can / bloated packet: This means there is intense bacterial activity happening in the food which can make it poisonous.
• A packet that smells bad on the outside: May be caused by rat urine
• Black spots on the packet/can: May be caused by rat faeces.

Sometimes, none of the above issues may be there, but once you open the can or packet, something feels wrong. In such a case, use your senses.

• Sight: If the food appears discoloured or there seems to be green or black patches on them, this is most probably fungal growth. Happens often with baked items.
• Smell: If the food has an unusual smell that is very strong, it’s possible the food has gone sour. Happens often with dosa or idli batter and curds/yoghurt.
• Touch: The foodstuff feels slimy or sticky. This can be a case of bacterial or viral contamination. Happens often with meat.
• Taste: Take a small sample of the food. If it tastes more bitter or more sour than usual, there may be bacterial activity happening inside.

Important tips around food quality

• Now that you understand these dates, look for them while shopping for food.
• Upon coming home, wash fruits or vegetables and put them in the refrigerator immediately. In case of food packets, read the instructions on how to store them. For example, nuts should not be left open as they can turn soft and bitter due to the oils in them turning rancid.
• In case of some products that may not be used immediately but must last longer, you can freeze them (put them in the freezer). Examples: milk, ready-to-eat soups and fruit juices.
• If a store appears badly maintained, walk away or not buy food there.
• Once a food packet is opened, consume all the content immediately. Repeated exposure to air, or repeated thawing and freezing also spoils the quality, if not safety of the foodstuff.

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