"Best By" Doesn't Mean "Bad By"
Surprise! The date stamped on most food is made up by the company, not the government. It almost never means "unsafe." It means "tastes best before this."
Have you ever looked at the yogurt in your fridge, seen “Best By June 12,” and immediately tossed it on June 13 like it was contaminated? Yeah. Almost everyone does this. And it’s actually a HUGE part of why so much food gets thrown away.
Here’s the secret: most of those dates are made up by the company that made the food. Not by the government. Not by a scientist. The company. Some random person at the brand picks a date that feels safe, prints it on the package, and we all act like it’s a force-field. 😬
In the United States, the ONLY food that has a real legally-meaningful date is baby formula. Everything else? Suggestion. Vibe. Guess.
What those words actually mean
- “Best By” is a quality date. The food might taste a little less amazing after this date. It’s almost always still totally safe.
- “Sell By” is for the STORE, not you! It tells the store when to take it off the shelf. Eggs are usually fine for 3 to 5 WEEKS after the Sell By date.
- “Use By” is the closest to a real “be careful” date. Pay attention for things like raw meat, soft cheese, and deli stuff. For everything else? It’s still mostly a quality thing.
How long stuff is actually fine after the date
| Food | How long after “Best By” it’s still good |
|---|---|
| Eggs (in the fridge) | 3–5 weeks |
| Dry pasta, rice, lentils | 1–2 YEARS |
| Canned soup, beans | 1–4 YEARS |
| Yogurt (sealed) | 1–2 weeks |
| Hard cheese | 3–4 weeks |
| Cereal (sealed) | 6 months |
| Peanut butter | 6–12 months |
| Bread (frozen) | 6 months |
Mind blown? Same.
The 3-step “is it still good?” check
Instead of trusting the date, do this:
- LOOK at it. Mold, weird color, slime → toss.
- SMELL it. Sharp, sour, off, gross → toss.
- For meat: also feel it. Slimy or sticky → toss.
If it passes all three? It’s almost certainly fine. The trash can isn’t the answer.
Why this is actually a big deal
A study by the NRDC and Harvard Food Law Clinic found that this ONE confusing label is responsible for about 20% of all the food Americans throw away. Americans throw away around $161 BILLION of food every year. Most of it because of a date that means nothing.
This is one of the big things I’m writing letters to my congresswoman about! (See the Policy page.) The fix is simple: pick TWO labels and have them mean the same thing everywhere. “Best If Used By” = quality. “Use By” = actual safety. Two words, less waste, fewer people going hungry. 💚
So next time you see a date on a package, be sure to take your precautions. But also: use your nose. It’s smarter than the printer.