Best before vs use by: what the dates on food really mean
Best before is about quality, use by is about safety. What each date means, how the rules differ around the world, and what to do when a date has passed.
KeepyWritten and checked by the Keepy team · 4 min read
The short answer
Best before is about quality: after it, food may still be fine to eat, but it may not be at its best. Use by is about safety: after it, food could make you ill, even if it looks and smells fine, so don't eat it. Indonesia has one legal date, Baik digunakan sebelum: the end of the period the maker guarantees the quality.
Throwing away good food is a waste, and eating food that has gone off is a risk. Knowing which date you're looking at helps you avoid both. Here's what the two kinds of date mean, how the rules differ from country to country, and what to do once a date has passed.
Two kinds of date
Most countries base their labels on Codex, the international food standards body. Codex describes two kinds of date:1
- Best before marks the end of the period in which the unopened food stays fully marketable, if it's stored as the label says. Codex adds that after this date the food may still be acceptable to eat.
- Use by is the date after which the food shouldn't be sold or eaten, for safety as well as quality reasons.
In short: best before is about quality, use by is about safety.2
How the rules differ by country
| Where | What the label says | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | "Baik digunakan sebelum" + date | The one legal expiry date: the end of the period the maker guarantees the quality, as long as the food is stored as the pack says.3 There's no separate use-by date. |
| UK | "Best before" or "Use by" | Best before is quality; use by is safety. Eating food after its use-by date could make you ill.2 |
| EU | "Best before (end)" or "Use by" | After the use-by date, food is deemed unsafe.4 |
| US | Usually "Best if Used By" | Dates aren't required by federal law, except on infant formula. The FDA supports "Best if Used By" as the standard wording for quality.5 |
| California (food made from 1 July 2026) | "BEST if Used by" or "USE by" | Quality and safety dates with fixed wording; "Sell by" is no longer allowed on packs.6 |
After the best before date
Food past its best-before date isn't automatically bad. Codex notes it may still be acceptable to eat.1 What usually changes first is quality: crisps go soft, biscuits go stale, flavours fade.
Before you decide, check:
- Has it been stored the way the pack says? The date only holds for food stored as instructed.3
- Is the pack intact? Undamaged and still sealed, unless you opened it.
- Has it been opened? Once opened, follow the pack's "use within … days" advice instead of the date.
If the pack is damaged, has been stored badly, or something seems wrong, don't take the risk.
After the use by date
Don't eat it. In the UK and the EU, the use-by date is a safety limit: food can make you ill after it even if it looks and smells fine.2 4 Food Standards Scotland puts it plainly: the "sniff test" isn't a suitable way to tell whether food is safe.7
Where "sell by" fits in
A "sell by" date is meant for distributors and shops, to help them rotate stock; it's neither a quality nor a safety date. It's mostly seen on US packs. In California, food made from 1 July 2026 may no longer carry the words "sell by", so shoppers only see quality or safety dates.6
Questions
Is best before the same as expired?
No. In the UK and the EU, best before is a quality date: the food may still be fine after it.2 Where a country uses a single date, as Indonesia does, that date is the legal expiry date, so treat it as the date to eat by.3
Can I eat food one day after the best before date?
Often yes, if the pack is intact and it has been stored as the label says, because a best-before date is about quality.1 Never do this with a use-by date.
Can I freeze food on its use-by date?
Yes, up until midnight on that date, according to the UK Food Standards Agency. Once defrosted, eat it within 24 hours.8
What does "Best if Used By" mean on US food?
It's a quality date: the product is at its best until then. The FDA supports it as the standard wording, and dates aren't required by federal law except on infant formula.5
Can Keepy tell me if my food is still safe?
No. Keepy reminds you of dates. Only the label, how the food has been stored, and official advice can guide that decision.
Sources
- General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods, CXS 1-1985 (revised 2018), section 2, Codex Alimentarius (FAO/WHO), copy published by the Vanuatu Bureau of Standards
- Best before and use-by dates, Food Standards Agency (UK)
- Peraturan BPOM No. 31 Tahun 2018 tentang Label Pangan Olahan, Pasal 7 and 34, Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Article 24, European Union (EUR-Lex)
- How to Cut Food Waste and Maintain Food Safety, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2024
- Food date labeling (AB 660), California Department of Food and Agriculture
- Use by and best before dates, Food Standards Scotland
- How to chill, freeze and defrost food safely, Food Standards Agency (UK)
Facts checked against the sources on 24 Oct 2026. This guide explains what labels and official advice say. It isn't medical advice, and the pack and official guidance in your country come first.
