Are You Reading Food Labels Right? Here’s What You Need To Know

Navigating grocery store shelves can be daunting, especially when it comes to understanding food expiration labels. Terms like “best by,” “use by,” and “sell by” often leave shoppers, specially young shoppers, second-guessing the safety of their food. However, experts say these dates are more about quality than safety, and a closer look might help reduce unnecessary food waste.

The USDA has clarified that these date labels, while useful for gauging freshness, do not necessarily indicate when food becomes unsafe to eat. According to federal guidelines, only infant formula is mandated by law to carry a date that ensures safety. For most other products, these labels are intended to suggest when food will be at its best quality rather than its safety.

Nina Sevilla, a program advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), explains, “Date labels usually indicate when food will be at its optimal freshness. If you have food a couple of days past that date, it likely means it’s still OK to consume.”

Various numbers on the packages can be confusing, leading many people to discard food prematurely. This confusion contributes to a significant problem: approximately 40% of food in the US marked for consumption ends up wasted.

Sevilla says that our senses are often the best indicators of food safety. “In most cases, your body has a natural, foul reaction to the taste or smell of spoiled food,” she says. “Our reaction to spoiled food is evolutionary. We’ve fine-tuned our senses to keep us safe from ingesting things that might hurt us.”

To address this issue, the NRDC is advocating for federal action to standardize food date labels.

Here are some of the common food phrases and their meaning:

• Best if used by/before: This label indicates when food is estimated to be at its best in terms of flavor or quality. It is not a safety date and does not imply that the food is unsafe after this date.

• Sell by: This is meant for store use to manage inventory and display products for sale. It is not a safety date and doesn’t necessarily mean the food is unsafe after this date.

• Use by: This label is the last date recommended for using the product while it’s at its peak quality. It is not a safety date, except for infant formula, which must be consumed by the “use by” date for safety reasons.

• Freeze by: This indicates the ideal time to freeze a product to maintain its peak quality. It is not a safety date and does not mean the food is unsafe after this date