How to Read Food Expiration Dates (Best Before, Use By, Sell By Explained)

Why date labels confuse everyone

The USDA estimates that roughly 20 percent of consumer food waste in the United States is driven by date-label confusion: people reading a "Best Before" stamp as a hard expiry and discarding food that is still perfectly safe and nutritious. Health Canada cites comparable findings for Canadian households. A 2019 ReFED analysis put the annual economic cost of date-label-driven waste in the US alone at more than $29 billion USD.

The core problem is that four different label types exist, each with a distinct legal meaning, and none of them are labeled to say what they mean. A "Best Before" date on a block of cheddar is a quality promise, not a safety deadline. A "Use By" date on infant formula is a genuine safety cutoff enforced by law in both Canada and the United States. A "Sell By" stamp on a package of chicken is a retailer inventory signal that was never intended to communicate anything to the consumer at all.

Because these phrases look similar and appear in the same location on a package, most people apply the same rule to all of them: if the date has passed, toss it. That habit wastes billions of dollars of safe food every year and, paradoxically, does not make anyone safer, because the foods that genuinely require strict date adherence (infant formula, deli meat, bagged salad, soft cheese) are often not the ones people are throwing out early.

The four common label types

Understanding these four label phrases eliminates most date-reading confusion. The definitions below reflect CFIA regulations for Canada and FDA/USDA guidance for the United States.

Label phrase	What it means	Quality or safety?	Notes
Best Before / Meilleur Avant / Best By / Best If Used By	Manufacturer's quality guarantee: peak flavor, texture, and nutrition up to this date, assuming proper storage	Quality only, not safety	Bilingual Best Before / Meilleur Avant required in Canada; "Best If Used By" is the FDA's preferred voluntary phrase in the US (2023 guidance)
Use By / À utiliser avant / Expiry Date	Safety cutoff: product should not be consumed after this date	Safety indicator	Mandatory in Canada on infant formula, meal replacements, and nutritional supplements; mandatory in the US on infant formula only; rare on regular grocery items
Sell By	Retailer inventory and stock-rotation signal; tells the store when to pull the product from the shelf	Neither quality nor safety for consumers	Voluntary in the US; not commonly used in Canada; never intended as a consumer date; food is generally safe to eat for several days past Sell By if stored correctly
Packaged On	The date the product was packaged at retail (butcher counter, deli counter, bakery case)	Informational reference point	Required in Canada on retail-packaged foods with a shelf life under 90 days; used alongside a Best Before date or instead of one; lets consumers calculate freshness from packaging date

The single most useful thing to remember: if the label says "Best Before," "Best By," or "Best If Used By," you are reading a quality date, not an expiry. The food does not become unsafe the moment the clock ticks past midnight.

Canadian date-label rules (CFIA-regulated)

Canada's food labeling law is governed by the Safe Food for Canadians Act and enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The rules are more prescriptive than US federal law:

• Best Before / Meilleur Avant is mandatory on most prepackaged foods with a shelf life of 90 days or less. The bilingual phrase is required by law; a unilingual stamp is non-compliant.
• Format options are DD/MM/YY, YY/MM/DD, or a written month (e.g., "15 JA 26" or "JA 15 26"). The CFIA prescribes which abbreviated month forms are acceptable. No slash or comma required between elements.
• Foods with a shelf life over 90 days are exempt from the Best Before requirement. This covers most canned goods, dry pasta, rice, flour, honey, vinegar, and condiments. Many manufacturers voluntarily print a date anyway for quality reference.
• Use By / À utiliser avant / Expiry Date is mandatory in Canada only on infant formula, meal replacements, and nutritional supplements. These are genuine safety cutoffs and must not be consumed after the printed date.
• Packaged On dates are required on retail-packaged meat, poultry, and fish prepared at store level (e.g., butcher counter cuts) and on other foods where the shelf life is calculated from packaging date.
• No national "expiration date" law applies to shelf-stable packaged grocery items beyond 90-day-shelf-life foods. A can of soup with no date on it is legally compliant. That does not mean it is unsafe; canned goods are shelf-stable by nature.

The CFIA also publishes a food labeling guide and field-level enforcement protocols. Consumers can report mislabeled products at the CFIA's online complaint portal (canada.ca/cfia-complaint).

US date-label rules (FDA + USDA, mostly voluntary)

Federal date-labeling law in the United States is notably weaker than Canadian law for most food categories. Understanding the gap helps explain why the USDA FoodKeeper app exists: it fills the practical guidance hole that voluntary labeling creates.

• No federal expiration-date requirement exists for most shelf-stable or refrigerated grocery foods under either FDA or USDA jurisdiction. Manufacturers may print a date voluntarily, and the vast majority do, but the phrase, format, and meaning are all up to the manufacturer.
• "Use By" is federally mandatory in the US only on infant formula (FDA). It is the only category where a missed date has a binding federal safety implication for consumers.
• "Best If Used By" is the FDA's preferred voluntary phrase (introduced in 2023 voluntary guidance) for quality dates. The goal is to consolidate the dozens of competing phrases into a single, self-explanatory label that consumers understand means quality, not safety.
• "Sell By" has no federal definition and is entirely voluntary. Some states prohibit the sale of food past its Sell By date; others do not regulate it at all. It is a manufacturer-to-retailer signal.
• State-level rules vary significantly. California and New York have their own date-labeling statutes for specific categories (e.g., milk, eggs). If you are buying in a state with stricter rules, the product label must comply with the state requirement.
• The USDA FoodKeeper app is the practical complement to voluntary labeling. It provides specific storage timelines for hundreds of products across all categories: fresh produce, dairy, meat, poultry, seafood, leftovers, and pantry staples. Free on iOS and Android.

Quality vs safety: the most important distinction

The line between "quality" and "safety" is the most important concept in this guide. Best Before marks the point after which quality begins to decline, not the point at which safety ends. The transition from good to acceptable to noticeably off quality takes days to weeks, depending on the food and storage conditions. The transition from safe to unsafe happens on a different timeline governed by microbiology, not manufacturer preference.

Practical examples by category:

• Yogurt (unopened). Fine 7 to 10 days past Best Before if the container has never been opened and has been kept at 4 C / 40 F or below. The lactic-acid environment inhibits spoilage organisms. Opened yogurt should be consumed within 7 to 10 days of opening regardless of the Best Before date.
• Bread. Best Before is a staleness date. Mold is the actual safety signal. A loaf that is 3 days past Best Before but has no visible mold is safe to eat; it may just be drier or less soft.
• Milk. Best Before on milk is calibrated tightly because milk quality degrades quickly past the quality peak. However, if it smells and pours normally, milk is generally safe 3 to 5 days past Best Before if kept cold (Health Canada guidance).
• Deli meat (opened). This is the category where Best Before transitions into genuine safety territory. Opened deli meat should be consumed within 3 to 5 days regardless of the printed date. Listeria monocytogenes can grow on deli meat at refrigerator temperatures. Past the Use By or Best Before date on opened deli meat, the risk is real and not detectable by smell.
• Soft cheese (brie, camembert, ricotta, feta in water). Do not use past Best Before. Soft cheeses have high moisture content and neutral pH: ideal conditions for Listeria. Hard cheeses (cheddar, parmesan, gouda) are a different story: surface mold can be cut off with a margin and the cheese continued.

How long past the date is each category actually safe?

The table below draws on USDA FoodKeeper, Health Canada Safe Food at Home, and CFIA labeling guidance. All timelines assume continuous proper refrigeration at 4 C / 40 F or below. "Past date" means past the printed Best Before date on an unopened package unless otherwise noted.

Food	Estimated safe window past Best Before	Key notes	Source
Eggs (raw, in shell)	3 to 5 weeks past Best Before	Do the float test (see section below) if in doubt; refrigerate continuously	USDA FoodKeeper / Health Canada
Milk (unopened)	5 to 7 days past Best Before if kept cold	Smell and appearance are reliable early-warning signals for milk	Health Canada
Yogurt (unopened)	1 to 2 weeks past Best Before	Once opened, eat within 7 to 10 days regardless of date	USDA FoodKeeper / Health Canada
Hard cheese (cheddar, parmesan, gouda)	Weeks to months past Best Before	Cut off surface mold with a 2.5 cm / 1 inch margin on all sides; continue using	USDA FoodKeeper / Health Canada
Soft cheese (brie, ricotta, feta, cream cheese)	Do NOT use past Best Before	Listeria risk; high moisture enables growth at fridge temperatures	Health Canada / CFIA
Commercially canned goods (intact seal, no bulge)	Years past Best Before from a safety standpoint; quality declines	Inspect the can before opening: any bulge, spurting, or off-odor means discard without tasting	USDA / Health Canada
Dry pasta and rice (sealed)	1 to 2 years past Best Before	Quality (texture when cooked) may decline; safety is not the concern for properly sealed dry goods	USDA FoodKeeper
Frozen meat (continuously frozen at -18 C / 0 F)	Indefinite from a safety standpoint; quality drops after 6 to 12 months	Freezer burn is a quality defect, not a safety problem	USDA FoodKeeper / Health Canada
Deli meat (opened package)	Toss within 3 to 5 days of opening, regardless of date	Listeria; no detectable smell warning; time is the only reliable indicator	USDA FoodKeeper / Health Canada
Bagged salad greens / pre-washed spinach	Never use past Use By or Best Before	Listeria and E. coli risk; pre-washed, ready-to-eat; bacterial load can be high by the date	Health Canada / FDA
Butter (unopened)	1 to 2 months past Best Before refrigerated; much longer frozen	Salted butter keeps longer than unsalted due to salt's inhibitory effect	Health Canada / USDA FoodKeeper
Bread (no visible mold)	3 to 7 days past Best Before depending on humidity	Best Before on bread is a texture and freshness date; mold is the actual safety signal	USDA FoodKeeper

When to trust the date and when not to

Not all dates deserve the same weight. Grouping foods by risk level gives a faster decision framework than reading the fine print on every package.

Trust the date strictly for these high-risk categories (use before or by the printed date; do not push past it):

• Infant formula (Use By is a hard safety cutoff in both Canada and the US)
• Opened deli meat (Listeria grows at fridge temperatures with no smell warning)
• Bagged salad greens and pre-washed produce (Listeria and E. coli risk)
• Soft cheeses (brie, ricotta, cream cheese, feta in water)
• Sushi-grade fish and raw shellfish
• Raw ground meat (use within 1 to 2 days of purchase regardless of date)

Toss earlier than the date if you see or smell any of these signals (date is irrelevant when the food itself signals spoilage):

• Visible mold on anything other than hard cheese
• Off smell: sour, ammonia, sulfur, or simply wrong for that food
• Slimy or tacky texture on cooked or raw meat
• Bubbling or fizzing in a product not designed to ferment
• Bulging can or swollen package lid (botulism indicator)

Feel confident using past Best Before for these lower-risk, shelf-stable categories:

• Commercially canned goods with intact seals and no damage
• Dry goods: pasta, rice, oats, flour, dried beans, lentils
• Hard cheese (cut off any mold with a 2.5 cm margin)
• Eggs (use the float test described in the next section)
• Honey and pure maple syrup (these do not expire from a safety standpoint)

The egg float test and other practical checks

The egg float test is a reliable, zero-equipment check for egg freshness. Fill a bowl or glass with cold water and lower the egg in gently:

• Sinks and lies flat on the bottom: fresh egg. The air cell inside is small. Use freely.
• Sinks but stands upright or tilts at one end: older egg, 2 to 4 weeks. Perfectly safe; the air cell has grown as moisture evaporated through the porous shell. Better for hard-boiling (easier to peel) than for poaching or frying where a tight white is preferred.
• Floats: discard. Decomposition has produced gas inside the shell. Do not crack it open to smell or inspect; just discard it directly.

The science behind the test: eggshells are permeable. Over time, moisture exits and air enters through thousands of microscopic pores, enlarging the air cell at the wide end of the egg. Decomposition speeds this process and adds gas from bacterial activity. The density change from that gas is what causes a bad egg to float.

Other practical freshness checks beyond the float test:

• Milk: a sour, clabbered smell is an unambiguous signal of bacterial activity. A slight off-note before visible curdling still indicates advancing spoilage: use in baking (where heat kills the organisms) or discard. Appearance is a secondary check: poured milk that looks lumpy or stringy is already well past the quality threshold.
• Yogurt: some liquid separation (whey) on the surface is normal and not a spoilage sign. Stir it back in. Actual spoilage signs: a distinctly sour or off smell beyond yogurt's normal tartness, visible mold (usually pink or green), or a very watery texture indicating bacterial breakdown of the protein structure.
• Hard cheese: surface mold is expected and manageable. Cut at least 2.5 cm / 1 inch in all directions from the moldy spot and discard the mold and that margin. The remaining cheese is safe. Exception: blue-veined cheeses (the mold is intentional and beneficial); discard only if a non-blue surface mold appears.

Reducing food waste with smart date-reading

Date-label confusion is one of the largest single drivers of avoidable household food waste in both Canada and the United States. Statistics Canada estimates that Canadian households throw away roughly $1,500 CAD worth of food per year. The USDA and ReFED estimate US household food waste at $1,300 to $1,500 USD per year. A significant share of that waste is food that was safe to eat at the time of disposal.

The key reframe: treat Best Before as the beginning of a "use it up" planning window, not the toss date. A Best Before date two days away is a reminder to eat the yogurt tonight or freeze the bread, not a deadline that will turn food poisonous the moment it passes.

Practical habits that extend the value of every Best Before date:

• First-in, first-out (FIFO). When you unpack groceries, move older items to the front of the fridge and pantry and stock new purchases behind them. This is the inventory discipline used by every food service kitchen and it works equally well at home. Canadian Tire, Costco Canada, and Home Hardware all stock fridge organizer bins (lazy susans, tiered racks) that make FIFO effortless.
• Freeze before the date. Most perishables can be frozen before the Best Before date and used weeks or months later. Bread, cooked grains, shredded cheese, butter, and raw meat all freeze well. Freeze on the day of purchase if you know you won't use it within a few days.
• Plan a "use it up" meal once a week. Designate one meal (commonly Friday dinner) to clear the fridge of anything approaching its Best Before date. Fried rice, frittatas, grain bowls, soups, and stir-fries are all well-suited to this role because they tolerate arbitrary ingredient combinations.
• Label containers with the open date, not just the purchase date. Many Best Before dates are calibrated for unopened packages. Once opened, most foods have a shorter window. Labeling with the open date is more actionable than relying on the package stamp.

Special categories: baby food, supplements, OTC medication

Three categories warrant special attention because their date labels carry meanings or regulatory requirements that differ from standard food labeling.

Baby formula and infant food. The Use By date on infant formula is a strict safety cutoff in both Canada (CFIA) and the US (FDA). This is one of the very few categories where the date is legally mandatory and safety-based rather than voluntary and quality-based. Do not use infant formula past the Use By date. The nutritional profile degrades and the product can no longer be guaranteed safe. Jarred baby food typically carries a Best Before date; the same CFIA and FDA guidance applies (quality indicator for sealed jars; discard after opening within 24 to 72 hours depending on the product).

Dietary supplements and vitamins. The expiry date on supplements and vitamins is a potency guarantee, not a safety cutoff. A multivitamin three months past the date is unlikely to cause harm; it may simply deliver less of its stated active ingredients due to oxidation and degradation. Health Canada classifies vitamins and supplements under the Natural Health Products regulations; the expiry date on the label is a stability assurance. If you're relying on a supplement for a specific therapeutic dose (e.g., high-dose vitamin D after a deficiency diagnosis), potency decline past the date matters more than for a general daily multivitamin.

Over-the-counter medications. Expiry dates on OTC medications are regulated by both Health Canada and the FDA and are set based on stability testing data. Potency can drop after the expiry date, and for some medications (certain liquid antibiotics, nitroglycerin, insulin), degradation products can cause harm. For most common OTC analgesics and antihistamines, a few months past expiry is unlikely to be dangerous but dosing efficacy may be reduced. For a more detailed guide to specific medication categories, see the medication expiry tracker on this site.

Storage that extends or shortens the date

A Best Before date assumes the product was stored correctly from the day it was manufactured. That assumption does not always hold, which means a date on the package is a ceiling estimate, not a guaranteed floor.

Fridge temperature. The USDA and Health Canada both specify 4 C / 40 F as the maximum safe fridge operating temperature. A fridge running at 6 C / 43 F does not feel noticeably different but meaningfully shortens every perishable's safe window. A cheap fridge thermometer (under $15 CAD at Canadian Tire or Costco Canada) gives a definitive reading in minutes. Place it on the middle shelf, not in the door (the door is the warmest zone, not representative of internal temperature).

Freezer temperature. The target is -18 C / 0 F or colder. A freezer running at -12 C / 10 F (a common "energy-saving" setting on some models) still prevents bacterial growth but accelerates quality decline and freezer burn. The same thermometer probe used for the fridge can monitor the freezer.

Pantry conditions. Heat, humidity, and light are the three enemies of shelf-stable foods. Dry goods stored above the stove or dishwasher are exposed to humidity and heat cycles that accelerate deterioration well ahead of the Best Before date. Aim for a cool, dark, dry pantry: below 21 C / 70 F and away from direct light. Properly sealed dry goods stored in those conditions often outlast their Best Before dates by months to years.

Temperature abuse during transit. Groceries left in a hot car for an hour on a summer day have been temperature-abused. The Best Before date printed on the package assumes unbroken cold chain, not an hour at 35 C / 95 F in a back seat. If you know groceries sat in heat, shorten your expected windows accordingly and prioritize those items.

Cross-contamination in storage. Raw meat stored above ready-to-eat foods in the fridge is a standard food safety risk, but it also accelerates spoilage: drip contamination introduces bacterial load to items that were otherwise within their Best Before window. Store raw meat on the lowest shelf, sealed, to prevent cross-contamination.

Common mistakes

• Treating Best Before as the toss date. The most widespread and costly mistake. Best Before is a quality date. Discarding a block of cheddar or a can of tomatoes the day after its Best Before date wastes money and resources on food that was entirely safe to eat.
• Trusting the smell test on Listeria-risk foods. Listeria monocytogenes produces no detectable off-odor at dangerous concentrations. Opened deli meat, soft cheese, and bagged salad greens can look, smell, and taste normal while carrying enough Listeria to cause serious illness. For these categories, use the date and time-since-opening as your only guide.
• Running the fridge too warm. A fridge at 6 C / 43 F instead of 4 C / 40 F feels identical but shortens every storage window for every perishable inside. A $10 to $15 CAD thermometer from Canadian Tire or Home Hardware removes the guesswork. This is the single highest-ROI food safety upgrade available for most households.
• Refreezing thawed meat repeatedly. Each freeze-thaw cycle ruptures more cell walls and degrades texture. More importantly, if meat was thawed by cold-water method or microwave, it must be cooked immediately: it cannot be refrozen without cooking first. Only refrigerator-thawed meat can safely be refrozen (with a quality cost).
• Storing opened canned goods in the can. Once a metal can is opened, the tin or steel surface can transfer a metallic taste to the food and the protective lacquer layer on the interior is compromised. Transfer opened canned goods to a glass container or a food-safe plastic container with a lid. Store in the fridge and use within 3 to 5 days.
• Ignoring the open date on multi-serving packages. A Best Before date printed on an unopened container does not automatically apply once the package is opened. Opened yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, and deli items have a 5-to-10-day window from opening, often shorter than the printed Best Before. Label with the open date when you first use the item.

FAQ

What is the difference between Best Before and Use By?

Best Before (Meilleur Avant in Canada) is a quality date, not a safety date. It marks when the manufacturer expects peak flavor, texture, and nutritional value, assuming proper storage. Food past a Best Before date is often still safe to eat. Use By is a safety date applied to specific higher-risk products: in Canada it is mandatory only on infant formula, meal replacements, and nutritional supplements; in the US it is mandatory only on infant formula. A Use By date means the product should not be consumed after that date from a safety standpoint. For everyday groceries, Best Before is a quality guide; Use By is a genuine safety cutoff.

Is it safe to eat eggs past the Best Before date?

Yes, with a simple check. Eggs can be safe to eat 3 to 5 weeks past the Best Before date if they have been continuously refrigerated, per USDA and Health Canada guidance. The egg float test is a reliable DIY verification: a fresh egg sinks and lies flat; an older but safe egg sinks but tilts upward at one end; a bad egg floats because decomposition gas has built up inside. If an egg floats, discard it without cracking it open. If it sinks (flat or angled), it is safe to use.

Can I trust the smell test?

Only partially. The smell test catches obvious spoilage but fails for the most dangerous pathogens. Listeria monocytogenes, which can grow slowly in a refrigerator, produces no detectable off-odor at dangerous concentrations. Deli meat, soft cheese, and bagged greens past their dates can harbor Listeria without smelling wrong. For those high-risk categories, use the date and storage time as your primary guide, not smell. For lower-risk categories like hard cheese, canned goods, and dry pasta, smell combined with visual inspection is a reasonable supplement to date-reading.

Do canned goods really last for years?

Yes, with important caveats. Canned goods are shelf-stable because the canning process eliminates oxygen and pathogens. As long as the can is undamaged, the seal is intact, and there is no bulging, denting at the seams, or spurting on opening, commercially canned food is generally safe to eat well past the Best Before date, sometimes by years. Quality (texture, color, vitamin content) declines over time. The USDA and Health Canada both note that a bulging can is a botulism warning sign: do not open it, smell it, or taste it. Place it in a sealed bag and discard it.

Are US and Canadian date labels different?

Yes, in important ways. In Canada, the CFIA requires a bilingual Best Before / Meilleur Avant date on most prepackaged foods with a shelf life of 90 days or less. For foods with a shelf life over 90 days (most canned goods, dry pasta, condiments), no date is legally required. Use By is mandatory in Canada only on infant formula, meal replacements, and nutritional supplements. In the US, the FDA does not require expiration dates on most foods. Best By, Best If Used By, and Sell By are all voluntary. The only federally mandated Use By in the US applies to infant formula. Some states (California, New York) add their own date-labeling requirements for specific categories, but there is no national equivalent to Canada's Best Before mandate.