Food expiration dates: which should you follow?
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We’ve all got that one can of beans that’s been sitting in the back of our pantry for a bit too long. Maybe it’s a can of crushed tomatoes. Maybe it’s lentil soup. But you know it’s there. And every once in a while, on a desperate night, you find yourself asking, “Is that last number of the expiration date a 3 or an 8?” Then you put it back where you found it and order takeout instead.
But what does that date mean? In most cases, an expiration date tells us when foods are at their freshest — not whether they are safe to eat. Food manufacturers determine this based on factors like food type (canned foods, milk, meat, fresh vegetables), how they’ll be stored, transported, and sold. By and large, these dates are subjective.
The FDA oversees labeling and safety of infant formula, meat, poultry, and egg products — and the USDA oversees pretty much everything else. But neither agency requires food makers to put any kind of expiration date on most food. So without federal regulation, companies tend to err on the side of caution. Like, a lot of caution.
So, does food really expire on the expiration date?
Because expiration dates are so subjective, we sought expert advice from Tori Oto, a clinical fellow at Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic, and Sally Brown, Research Professor at University of Washington and Fellow at Soil Science Society of America. Oto explains: “Consumers assume that most date labels are conveying safety information, which is not the case,” she told us. “Most date labels convey quality information and are the manufacturers’ best guess on when the product will reach ‘peak quality.’
“For the large majority of products, manufacturers have the discretion to determine what date they use. They consider a wide array of factors, including ingredients (and specific characteristics of those ingredients like pH, expected bacterial and fungal growth rates, etc.), packaging, expected storage conditions, etc.”
Oto says that even after a printed date passes, you usually have some time before something is unsafe to consume. You just need to use your best judgment. Easier said than done, we know.
Brown elaborates that packaged and dried food like beans, pasta, and rice will almost always outlive their expiration date. For frozen foods, freezer burn is the biggest threat here, as it can significantly impact taste. Vacuum packaging can significantly extend the life of meat in the fridge or freezer, and she recommends buying goods packed this way whenever available.
The only food that should, without exception, never be consumed past its expiration date is baby formula. It’s formulated to have specific amounts of nutrients that can’t be guaranteed past the expiration date. It must also maintain a specific consistency to be able to pass through the tiny tips of baby bottles, and that deteriorates over time. So, let’s put baby formula aside for now.
“Best by” vs. “sell by” vs. “use by” vs. “freeze by”
“Best by” and “use by” both represent a manufacturer’s recommendation for peak freshness. Others, like “sell by” or “freeze by,” actually mean slightly different things. Knowing those differences will (hopefully) make navigating the grocery store a little bit easier.
What does the “best by” date mean?
“Best by” dates tell you when a food is expected to be at its peak quality or flavor. These aren’t food safety dates, so “best by” doesn’t mean “bad after.” It just means that, after the listed date, foods may have a slightly less optimal flavor or quality, but they can still be eaten as long as they’ve been stored and handled properly.
“Best by” also has variants — “best if used by,” "enjoy by," and "fresh through" are all riffs on the “best by” date.
What does the “use by” date mean?
A “use by” date is the last day the manufacturer recommends consuming a food, because it’s no longer likely to be at peak quality. Unless you’re looking at infant formula, this isn’t a safety date — it’s just another recommendation.
What does the “freeze by” date mean?
A “freeze by” date is similar to a “best by” date in that it is also unrelated to food safety. When something has a “freeze by” date on it, that means it should be frozen by or on the date listed in order to maintain its peak quality. You can still freeze something after this date, but technically it’s already started to degrade.
According to the USDA, freezing food at a constant 0°F preserves it pretty much indefinitely. However, quality will deteriorate over time. In other words, while you could eat it safely, you won’t necessarily want to. We all know, if you leave something in the freezer for too long, it ends up tasting like, well, the freezer.
Meat will typically maintain its quality for at least four months in the freezer before it starts to deteriorate, whereas fruits and vegetables will last a little bit longer (six to twelve months). While fruits and veggies tend to go pretty far in the freezer, you’ll want to avoid freezing vegetables with a high water content (such as cucumbers), as they tend to go mushy when they’re thawed.
Give your freezer-bound foods their best chance of survival by wrapping them tightly and storing them in appropriate portions. Try to avoid refreezing foods over and over, which is guaranteed to drain the taste out of any food.
What does the “sell by” date mean?
A “sell by” date can be useful to consumers, but it’s primarily a resource to help retailers and grocers circulate products by letting them know when it’s time for something to leave the shelves. “Sell by” dates are the dates you tend to see on food like dairy, veggies, and meats. And, just like with all the categories above, they aren’t safety dates. So, don’t let them stop you from eating something — it’s still good to eat even if it’s a few days past the ‘sell by’ date.
Grocery stores will generally stock perishables with earlier sell by dates toward the front, and later dates toward the back. Meat, poultry, and fish are generally stocked this way, and all of these food types will remain in good shape for some time after their “sell by” date, as long as they are stored properly.
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How to read food expiration dates
If a food manufacturer does print a date on its products, the USDA requires that they include a month and date. For frozen or shelf-stable goods, they’ll have to include a year, too.
Typically, products follow a standard US MM/DD/YY date format, where something like 090924 stands for September 9th, 2024. Occasionally, you might run into an alphanumeric format, where they favor the month's abbreviation — SEP for September, for example.
How to know if past-date food is still good and safe to eat
The USDA says that foods are typically good until there are signs of spoilage. But how are you supposed to recognize “spoilage”? The best way is to use your senses — and your common sense.
Err on the side of caution with perishable goods like dairy products, meat, fruits, and vegetables. A sour or funky smell is a dead giveaway that something has turned bad — especially milk. But cheese is a notable exception to the smell rule. We love barnyard-y cheese, and we’d hate for you to toss a perfectly good wedge of camembert based on its smell. With cheese, mold or unexpected discoloration signals that part of a wedge has gone bad, but you may still be able to salvage it by simply cutting off the affected area.
Remember: prematurely throwing away food creates unnecessary waste — something we all want to avoid. Learning to judge spoilage (or lack thereof) is a great way to reduce your household food waste.
Oto, our food waste expert, recommends using Too Good To Go’s look, smell, taste tutorial — which can help you understand how to identify when different foods may have started to go bad.
How long are different foods good for?
Below are a few household staples and their storage times. This should give you a general idea about how long you’ve got before they go bad once you’ve brought them home —and when you should start looking for signs of spoilage. Of course, for these guidelines to apply, you’ve got to follow the proper storage instructions.
Eggs: Eggs are usually good for three to five weeks when stored properly in the refrigerator — that’s usually quite some time past the date on the carton!
Milk: Opened milk will likely be good for 4–7 days past the date on the carton. Unopened whole and reduced-fat milk will be good for a week past that date, and unopened non-fat and lactose-free milk may be good for up to 10 days longer.
Yogurt: Yogurt should be eaten within one to two weeks of purchase; after that, trust your senses.
Rice: When stored correctly in a cool, dry place, white rice will generally last for years. Brown rice typically has a shorter shelf life, about six months, because of the oils found in the bran layer.
Canned food. Most food in cans is safe to eat for up to five years from the date printed on the can, but avoid consuming food from cans that are dented, damaged, or bulging in any way. Canning is a very safe preservation method, but once the can has been compromised, all bets are off.It’s best not to risk it when it comes to foodborne illness.
What should you do with expired food?
So, you’ve done your due diligence. You’ve smelled your meat, squeezed your veggies, triple-checked the dates and inspected every inch of your can, and you’ve determined that what you hold in your hands has finally gone bad. At least, you’re pretty sure it has, and you don’t want to risk it. So, what now?
The best thing you can do is recycle it. That’s right. Food can be recycled too. And it’s now easier than ever with the Mill food recycler. Mill dries and grinds your food scraps, expired beans, and wilted lettuce — turning them into nutrient-rich Food Grounds. These grounds can then be reused in farms or gardens. Because even expired food deserves a second chance.
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The effortless, odorless food recycler for those forgotten leftovers.
Sources:
U.S. Department of Agriculture: “Food Product Dating.” November 30, 2023. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/food-product-dating
U.S. Food and Drug Administration: “Infant Formula.” May 17, 2024. https://www.fda.gov/food/resources-you-food/infant-formula
Too Good To Go: “Look-Smell-Taste Date Labeling Initiative.” https://www.toogoodtogo.com/look-smell-taste
U.S. Department of Agriculture: “What kind of dates are on cartons of fresh eggs?” March 1, 2024. https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/What-kind-of-dates-are-on-cartons-of-fresh-eggs
Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: “Food Safety Laboratory and Milk Quality Improvement Program.”
U.S. Department of Agriculture: “How long can you keep dairy products like yogurt, milk, and cheese in the refrigerator?” May 17, 2024. https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/How-long-can-you-keep-dairy-products-like-yogurt-milk-and-cheese-in-the-refrigerator
U.S. Department of Agriculture: “Shelf-Stable Food Safety.” March 24, 2015.
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