Best before and use by are not the same date

Use by means safety

A use-by date is required when food must be eaten within a certain period for health or safety reasons. Food Standards Australia New Zealand advises not eating food after that date, even when it looks and smells normal.

Keep the product stored exactly as directed because the date assumes the cold chain and packaging remained intact. Leaving food in a warm car for two hours does not earn extra life because the printed date is next week.

Best before means quality

A best-before date marks the period when a product should retain expected quality. After it passes, crackers may soften, spices may fade and canned food may be less appealing, but the date does not automatically make the food unsafe.

Check that packaging is intact and the food has been stored correctly. Avoid bulging, leaking or badly damaged cans. Use your senses for quality after a best-before date, but never use a sniff test to overrule a use-by date.

Best before invites judgement. Use by sets a safety boundary.

Make dates easier to obey

Put newly bought food behind older products, freeze meat before its use-by date when plans change and label your own leftovers clearly. A weekly fridge check prevents forgotten food from turning into both waste and risk.

The answer is not ignoring labels. It is reading the two different labels correctly, then storing and cooking food like someone who paid for it.