The website "Love Food not Waste" has a great article on food labelling
This is taken from their site......
It’s helpful to begin by understanding the purpose behind each type of label:
- Best before – is about the quality of the food
- Use by – is about the safety of the food
- Display until / sell by – is for retailers attention only.
Take a look in your fridge and cupboards and see which foods have the above labels on them.
Best before date labels
‘Best before’ refers to quality: your food will be at its best when used before the date given.
- After this date, it might not be at its best, but it will still be safe to eat. Use your senses to make a judgement.
- Depending on how your food is stored, it has the potential to be good enough to eat for a long time after this date.
Here’s a guide to a few key food items and how long after the date they can be eaten:
- Biscuits – six months
- Canned food – 12 months
- Cereals – six months
- Confectionary – 12 months
- Crisps – one month
- Dried pasta – three years!
- Pasta sauce – 12 months
Use by date labels
‘Use by’ refers to safety: you must not eat food past the ‘use by’ date.
- You cannot always smell the bacteria that causes food to spoil, so after the ‘use by’ date, the food may appear perfectly fine to eat, but could still lead to food poisoning.
- Let’s be absolutely clear: you should NOT eat food after the ‘use by’ date - even if it looks and smells OK.
Display until / Sell by date labels
These dates are for the retailers – not us at home. You don’t need to worry about these.
Foods that don’t have any date labels
Some products, such as uncut fruit and vegetables and wine, for example, aren’t required to have a date label, and there are specific regulations referring to hen’s eggs, which require the use of a Best Before date.
Read more on this subject....
Date labels ditched: what this means for you
Basically use your common sense...... don't throw it out unless you absolutely have to.
Spoiled veg can be boiled up for stock, pasta and rice can last for years, canned for even decades and meat..... use your nose but if in doubt do throw meat or fish out!!!
Remember you can use the bones for stock too!!
For a definitive information on Sell and Use by Dates see the Safe Food Guide.
