When you glance at the date stamp on your food, do you pay attention to whether it says "best before" or "use by"?
Understanding these stamps can help us save money, avoid unnecessary food waste, and ensure we are not eating unsafe food.
But Food Standards Australia New Zealand research shows 22 per cent of us misunderstand best-before dates, and 33 per cent misunderstand use-by dates.
We explain the difference, and how rigid the time frames are.
The difference between best-before and use-by dates
Food produced or imported for sale in Australia is regulated by a code, which includes the requirement to display date marks.
Food suppliers are responsible for deciding, for their product, whether that date mark is a use-by or best-before, says a Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) spokesperson.
Use-by dates indicate the product should be consumed before or on the date marked.
"Foods labelled with a use-by date should not be consumed and can't legally be sold after this date," explains the FSANZ spokesperson, because they may pose a health or safety risk.
Foodbank NSW and ACT CEO John Robertson says perishable food including chilled and frozen products, such as meat, will have use-by dates.
Foods frozen before their use-by date may be an exception, he says, "but obviously how you defrost it and prepare it is really important".
Foods with a best-before stamp include products that are safe to eat past that date.
Biscuits, chips, pasta and pasta sauces are some examples, says Mr Robertson, adding that some people don't realise there is no hard-and-fast rule about when these products can no longer be consumed.
"Foods labelled with a best-before date can be consumed after the nominated date," the FSANZ spokesperson confirms, "as they should be safe but may have lost some quality."
These foods may also lose nutritional value.
Foods with exceptions
FSANZ says foods that have a shelf life of two years or longer — for example, some canned foods — do not need to be labelled with a best-before date.
"This is because it is difficult to give the consumer an accurate guide as to how long these foods will keep, as they may retain their quality for many years and are likely to be consumed well before they spoil."
Packaged fruit and vegetables are also not required to display a date mark as long as the nature or quality of the food is not obscured by the packaging, FSANZ says.
Bread is another exception — it can be labelled with a 'baked on' or 'baked for' date if its shelf life is less than seven days.
How long can best-before foods actually last?
While it varies product to product, Mr Robertson says as "a rule of thumb", best-before products can last six months past the marked date.
"Sometimes 12 months or more.
"It will be peak quality until that date, and from then on it will still be fit for consumption."
Foodbank receives a lot of products close to their best-before date, explains Mr Robertson.
Staff will ask the donor company to advise how long after the best-before date it will be OK to eat.
"At Foodbank, dignity is very important — it's part of what drives us. So we want to make sure what we are distributing is fit for consumption."
For people investigating foods with best-before dates in their own cupboards, Mr Robertson says "if it looks and smells OK, it probably is".
But don't eat any food that is past its use-by date, even if it looks and smells OK.
