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Under Food Standards Agency guidance and Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, use-by dates protect safety: never eat, cook, serve or sell food after the date. Best-before dates indicate quality, so correctly stored food may remain suitable afterwards. Caterers should date-label prepared food, rotate stock through FIFO and freeze eligible food before its use-by date.
Last updated: June 2026
Author: Global Safety Academy Editorial Team
Technically reviewed by: Global Safety Academy Food Safety Quality Review Team
Professional limitation: This article provides general food-safety and legal information rather than legal advice. Food businesses should apply date-labelling and shelf-life controls appropriate to their products, processes and jurisdiction.
Key facts
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A use-by date is about food safety.
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A best-before date is mainly about food quality.
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Do not use, serve or sell food after its use-by date.
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Sight and smell cannot confirm that use-by food remains safe.
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Food beyond its best-before date may remain suitable if stored correctly and checked.
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Internal labels must not extend the original manufacturer’s use-by date.
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FIFO means first in, first out, but the earliest safe date should always take priority.
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Freeze eligible food on or before its use-by date.
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Label frozen food with its identity and freezing date.
Use-By vs Best-Before: Safety and Quality
Key takeaway: Use-by dates indicate when perishable food may become unsafe, while best-before dates indicate when food may begin losing its expected quality.
Most prepacked food must show either a use-by date or a best-before date. The manufacturer decides which date is appropriate by assessing the product, processing method, packaging, storage conditions and likely shelf life.
|
Date label |
What it means |
Can it be used after the date? |
Typical food examples |
|
Use by |
Food safety |
No, unless it was safely cooked or frozen on or before the date |
Chilled meat, poultry, fish, prepared salads and other highly perishable chilled food |
|
Best before |
Food quality |
Potentially, when stored correctly and still suitable |
Tinned, dried, frozen and other longer-life foods |
|
Best before end |
Quality until the end of the stated month or year |
Potentially, subject to storage and condition |
Longer-life products where a precise day is unnecessary |
|
Display until or sell by |
Retail stock-control information |
Not a substitute for the legally required date mark |
Optional retailer information |
What does a use-by date mean?
A use-by date applies where consuming the food after that date may present a safety risk.
Food may contain harmful bacteria without showing visible spoilage. A smell or taste check cannot override a use-by date.
Food can be used throughout the stated date when it has been stored exactly as instructed. Once the date has passed, it should be removed from sale, service and food-production stock.
What does best before mean?
A best-before date indicates how long the product is expected to retain qualities such as flavour, texture, colour or crispness.
Food may remain suitable after this date when:
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It has been stored according to the label
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Its packaging remains intact
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There is no evidence of contamination
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Its condition is acceptable
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The business can still describe and sell it accurately
Best-before food must not be sold or served when it is unsafe, unfit, damaged or misleadingly presented.
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The Law on Use-By Dates
Key takeaway: Food displayed, sold or supplied after its use-by date can constitute a criminal offence because the law treats it as unsafe after that date.
Article 24 of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 provides that food is deemed unsafe after its use-by date.
The Food Information Regulations 2014 enforce relevant food-information requirements in England. The official government labelling guidance states clearly that selling food after its use-by date is a criminal offence.
Food businesses must therefore ensure that expired use-by products are not:
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Displayed for sale
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Supplied to consumers
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Used as ingredients
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Cooked for later service
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Relabelled with an extended date
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Mixed into another product
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Frozen after the date has passed
Moving food into another container does not cancel the original date. Removing the original packaging also does not allow the business to create a longer shelf life.
Is it illegal to sell food after its best-before date?
Passing a best-before date does not automatically make a food illegal to sell. The business remains responsible for ensuring that it is safe, suitable and accurately described.
The product may need additional checks for:
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Damaged packaging
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Moisture or pest contamination
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Mould
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Rancidity
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Staleness
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Loss of texture
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Incorrect storage
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Misleading quality claims
A business should have a documented procedure for managing food beyond its best-before date rather than leaving the decision to individual staff.
Storage instructions remain essential
A date is valid only when the food has been stored under the required conditions.
Food labelled “keep refrigerated” may become unsafe before its use-by date when it has been kept too warm. Date checks must therefore operate alongside the controls in the food safety temperatures guide.
Labelling Food You Prepare, Open or Decant
Key takeaway: Internal labels should preserve essential product information and apply a safe, documented shelf life based on the food and process.
Commercial kitchens frequently remove food from manufacturer packaging, open multi-use containers or prepare food in advance. Clear internal labelling prevents unidentified food, expired ingredients and unsafe assumptions about shelf life.
What should an internal food label include?
Depending on the product and business procedure, record:
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Name of the food
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Preparation, opening or decanting date
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Preparation or opening time where relevant
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Use-by or discard date
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Storage instructions
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Allergen identity
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Batch or traceability information where needed
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Freezing or defrosting date
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Responsible employee’s initials where required
Decanted ingredients
When food is transferred from its original packaging, retain the information needed to use it safely.
The FSA’s Safer Food, Better Business stock-control guidance advises businesses to record the food name, ingredients and original use-by or best-before date when moving food into another container.
Do not give decanted food a date beyond the manufacturer’s original use-by date. Keep the original label or traceability information available until the food has been used.
Food prepared on the premises
Prepared food needs a safe internal use or discard date based on factors including:
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Ingredients used
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Preparation method
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Cooking process
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Cooling rate
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Storage temperature
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Packaging
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Handling after preparation
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Intended consumer
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Whether it will receive further cooking
There is no single universal shelf life suitable for every prepared catering food. The business should establish its date-marking rules through its HACCP-based food safety management system.
An arbitrary label such as “three days from preparation” should not be copied across every product without considering the actual hazard and process.
Food prepared for sale
When food is prepacked or prepacked for direct sale, additional consumer-labelling requirements may apply. These can include the food name, ingredients, emphasised allergen information, storage instructions and an appropriate date mark.
Internal kitchen labels do not replace the information legally required for consumers.
FIFO Stock Rotation in Practice
Key takeaway: FIFO keeps older stock moving first, but employees must always prioritise the item with the earliest valid use-by or best-before date.
FIFO means first in, first out. New deliveries are generally stored behind existing stock so that older products are selected first.
A practical FIFO process is:
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Check every delivery before accepting it.
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Reject or isolate damaged and incorrectly dated food.
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Compare new stock with products already in storage.
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Place products with the earliest dates at the front.
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Move later-dated stock behind them.
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Use the front stock first.
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Check dates during every stock count.
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Remove expired use-by food immediately.
FIFO is not only about delivery order
A newer delivery may have an earlier date than existing stock. In that situation, the earliest date takes priority.
Staff should therefore check the actual date rather than assuming that older delivery always means earlier expiry. This approach is sometimes described as first-expiring, first-out.
Common stock-rotation failures
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New deliveries placed in front of existing food
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Products stored with labels facing the wall
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Several open containers with different dates
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Food transferred without preserving its original date
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Unlabelled prepared food
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Frozen food with no freezing date
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Expired products left for another employee to remove
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Date checks completed only before an inspection
Regular stock checks help prevent food waste and reduce the chance of expired use-by products reaching preparation or service.
Freezing Food and Date Labels
Key takeaway: Eligible food must be frozen on or before its use-by date and clearly labelled so staff can identify, defrost and use it safely.
Freezing pauses bacterial growth but does not make expired or mishandled food safe.
Before freezing, check:
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The manufacturer permits freezing
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The food is still within its use-by date
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It has been stored correctly
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The packaging is suitable or the food is rewrapped safely
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The freezer can freeze and store it effectively
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The business has a controlled defrosting procedure
Label frozen food with:
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Food name
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Date frozen
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Original use-by date where relevant
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Batch or traceability details
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Defrosting date when removed
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New use or discard instruction under the business procedure
Do not change the original use-by date to make food appear newer.
FSA consumer guidance states that food frozen before its use-by date should normally be used within 24 hours after defrosting. Catering businesses should also follow manufacturer instructions and their own validated food-safety procedures.
Food should usually be defrosted under refrigeration in a covered container that prevents leakage and cross-contamination. The food poisoning bacteria guide explains why temperature control remains important after thawing.
Date-Labelling Checks for Catering Managers
Key takeaway: Managers should verify dates, labels and stock rotation during normal operation rather than relying on occasional end-of-month checks.
Use this checklist:
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Deliveries are within date and correctly stored.
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Use-by and best-before dates are clearly distinguishable.
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Earliest-dated stock is positioned for first use.
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Opened products carry the required internal label.
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Decanted ingredients retain their original information.
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Prepared food has an approved use or discard date.
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Frozen food shows its identity and freezing date.
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Defrosted food is labelled and controlled.
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Expired use-by products are removed immediately.
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Best-before food is assessed under a documented procedure.
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Staff understand that smell cannot override a use-by date.
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Date-control failures are recorded and corrected.
Date control should also be incorporated into the cleaning, storage and management arrangements described in cleaning and disinfection in a commercial kitchen.
Strengthen Food-Storage and Date-Control Skills
Key takeaway: Training helps food handlers distinguish safety dates from quality dates and apply stock-control procedures consistently.
Date marking is effective only when staff understand what each label means and act before food becomes expired.
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Explore Course → Food Hygiene Level 2 Training
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Sources and Methodology
Key takeaway: This article distinguishes legal date-marking requirements from internal catering controls and voluntary stock-management practices.
The article was checked against official sources available in June 2026:
Date-labelling language, legal requirements and freezing guidance differ internationally. Food businesses outside the UK should follow their local regulator’s definitions and mandatory labelling rules.
