Mistakes about how to read expiration dates on food labels

Many consumers today are still quite confused about how to interpret dates on food packaging such as “expiry date”, “use by date…” and “best before date…”, leading some people to keep food past its expiration date while others throw away food that is still usable.

A survey found that 91% of American consumers throw away their food too soon because they can't understand the instructions on the packaging.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that confusion over how to interpret messages on food packaging date labels causes Americans to throw away about $161 billion worth of food each year.

Meanwhile, many others rely on the unscientific approach of using visual cues such as mold, changes in texture, color, and smell (smell) of food to decide when to throw it away.

This is a potentially dangerous practice because foodborne pathogens can sometimes not be seen or smelled.

In Vietnam, the Food Safety Law 2010 has regulated the shelf life of food and the time of food labeling with the terms "Expiry date", "Use by date…", "Best before date…" suitable for each specific type of food product.

All food products sold on the market are required to have an expiration date printed on the packaging to help consumers know how long the food can be kept before it begins to spoil, should not be eaten, and cannot be eaten.

However, in reality, there are still many people who do not fully understand the meaning of the above phrases. To ensure food safety as well as avoid wasting food that is still usable, the following suggestions will help consumers have a basic understanding of the expiration date terms on food packaging.

Expiration Date - EXP

The "Expiry date" (EXP) is often used for functional foods, boxed biscuits... When a product has this expiration date, it means that by the date specified on the packaging, the product is no longer of guaranteed quality and we should not use it.

Use beforeday...

The term “Use by date…” refers to food safety. It means that food should only be used before the expiration date printed on the packaging. Continuing to use food after this date can be harmful to your health.

This phrase is often used for foods that have a short safety period and are easily spoiled after the expiration date, such as ready-to-eat salads, dairy products, soft cheeses, meats, seafood, etc.

Best before date…

The “Best before date…” date refers to the best quality of the product, not its safety. Food can still be eaten after the date printed on the package, but its deliciousness and nutritional value will gradually decrease.

This phrase is commonly used for frozen, dried, and canned foods.

However, consumers should still avoid eating spoiled foods and use them within the expiration date printed on the food packaging.

Use packaged food after opening

For some foods, after opening the lid/package, the product's shelf life will be shortened compared to the date printed on the package. Therefore, when buying food, you must follow the manufacturer's instructions on the time and conditions for storing food after opening the food package.

For example, “refrigerate after opening at or below 40 degrees Celsius and use within 7 days.”