Best before: a quality date
Best before states how long the producer guarantees full quality: taste, texture and nutritional value. After the date, the food is often still perfectly good to eat, provided it has been stored properly and the packaging is unopened. That applies to milk, yoghurt, eggs, hard cheese, tinned goods, dry staples and frozen food. Look, smell and taste: national food safety authorities across Europe describe that as a sensible way to judge food past its best before date. Across the EU, and in the UK, the two phrases are set by food information law, so the wording means the same thing wherever you shop.
Use by: a safety date
Use by appears on perishable foods where bacteria can multiply without the food smelling or looking wrong, for instance fresh chicken, mince, fresh fish and some ready meals. After that date the food should not be eaten, even if it seems fine. The safe option is to cook or freeze it on or before the date. Freezing stops the clock, and a frozen item can be cooked after defrosting. Once a pack is opened, follow the storage instructions on it, which usually shorten the time you have regardless of the printed date.
How long do common foods keep?
| Food | Guide after best before (unopened, stored correctly) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | A few days up to a week | Smell and taste; sour milk is obvious |
| Yoghurt and soft cheese | Often one to several weeks | The acidity protects; check for mould |
| Eggs | Several weeks | An egg that floats in water should be thrown away |
| Hard cheese | Weeks to months | Cut away surface mould on hard cheese |
| Tinned and dry goods | Months to years | Discard dented, bulging or rusty tins |
| Frozen food | Months | Quality declines, safety remains |
| Cooked mince or chicken | 2–3 days in the fridge | Cooked food: cool quickly, reheat thoroughly |
| Cooked rice and pasta | A few days in the fridge | Cool quickly after cooking |
The table is guidance, not a rule. Follow the instructions on the packaging and trust your own senses, and be more cautious with food for children, pregnant women and people with a weakened immune system.
Storing food so the dates hold
Dates assume correct storage. A fridge at 5 degrees or below, milk and meat on the lower shelves rather than in the door, and opened jars covered and chilled all extend the useful life of what you buy. Bread, onions and potatoes prefer a cool cupboard to the fridge. Eggs keep longer in the fridge than at room temperature. None of this is complicated; the hard part is remembering what is in there and when it went in.
Why the confusion costs so much
A large share of the food thrown away at home was still fine to eat: yoghurt binned on the best before date, eggs discarded a week after it, bread that could have been frozen. Treating best before as a hard stop is an easy habit to fall into when you are tired and the date is printed in bold. Knowing that it is a quality date, and checking the food rather than the number, is a change that saves a great deal of food on its own. The second change is having a system that tells you what to use first, so the check happens before the food turns rather than after.
Keeping track of the dates
The difficulty is not the rules but the memory. In Cibello, the items in your food inventory carry their dates, taken from receipts, barcodes or what you photographed, and the app gently flags what should be used soon. Suggestions for tonight's dinner then favour recipes that use exactly those items, so less food waste becomes a by-product of cooking dinner. Dates can be misread by AI, so check them yourself when you review a scan. Leftovers and meal boxes can be added to the inventory too, so they are not forgotten.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between best before and use by?
Best before is a quality date: the food is often fine to eat afterwards if it has been stored properly. Use by is a safety date for perishable foods such as chicken and mince, and should not be passed.
Can you eat food after the best before date?
Often, yes. Look, smell and taste. This does not apply to food marked with a use by date.
How long does milk keep after the best before date?
Often a few days up to a week if it has stayed unopened and cold. Smell and taste decide.
Can an app remind me before food goes off?
Yes. Cibello keeps dates in your food inventory, reminds you when something should be used and suggests recipes that use it. Always check the dates yourself.
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Updated 2026-09-04