Expiration Dates Explained
What Sell By, Use By, and Best By Really Mean
You’re about to pour a bowl of cereal when you notice the date on the box passed three days ago. Do you go ahead and eat it or dump it in the trash?
Most people are guessing when trying to determine if food is still good to eat, and they often guess wrong. Dates on food are usually about quality, not safety. Federal law doesn’t require dates on most food, but manufacturers tend to put them anyway. They also get to pick the wording, which is why one package might say “Sell By,” while another says “Use By,” and a third says “Best By.”
Dates on food do not always indicate it has gone bad, yet over 3.5 million tons of food are discarded each year because of consumer confusion over date labels. In a 2025 national survey by Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and ReFED (a national nonprofit that tracks food waste), 43% of people said they always or usually toss food near or past the date on the package, and 88% do it at least occasionally.
Sell By
A Sell By date is a note for the store. Retailers use it to track inventory and decide how long to keep a product on the shelf. It is not a safety date.
If the date passes while the food is in your kitchen, it should still be safe and good to eat if you stored it properly and it shows no signs of spoilage. Spoiled food develops an off smell, flavor, or texture. If you notice any of those, throw it out.
Use By
A Use By date is the last day the maker recommends using the product at its peak quality. For most foods, USDA says it is not a safety date. There are two exceptions.
Best If Used By
A Best If Used By date tells you when a product will have its best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase date and it is not a safety date. After the date, a food may lose some flavor, texture, or crunch, but it can still be fine to eat. You may also see Best By or Best Before, which point to quality in the same way.
USDA and FDA both recommend this phrase because research shows people understand it as a quality date. According to USDA, food without signs of spoilage is still wholesome after the date, which means stores can sell it, shoppers can buy it, and people can donate it.
Date Label Cheat Sheet
- Who It Is For
- The store
- Is It a Safety Date?
- No
- What To Do
- Store it properly and check for spoilage before you eat it
- Who It Is For
- You
- Is It a Safety Date?
- No
- What To Do
- Eat it before the date for the best quality, and use your judgment after the date
- Who It Is For
- You
- Is It a Safety Date?
- Only for infant formula and foods like deli meats and soft cheeses
- What To Do
- Follow the date on those foods
Who Decides What the Labels Say?
The wording in most cases is entirely up to the food manufacturers. Except in the case of infant formula, the federal government does not require date labels on any food, and there is no standard wording. However, many shoppers assume otherwise. In a 2025 survey, 44% of consumers stated they believe the federal government regulates the phrases on food labels.
The food industry started a voluntary effort in 2017 to use “Best If Used By” for quality and “Use By” for safety, and FDA and USDA support “Best If Used By.” Other phrases like “Sell By” and “Expires On” are still common on store shelves, so the labels can still be confusing. California has passed a law to standardize date labels, and Congress is considering a bipartisan bill, the Food Date Labeling Act, that would limit labels to only “Best If Used By” and “Use By.”
How To Tell If Food Is Still Good
How you store food is often more important than the date on the package. Food that is handled poorly can spoil fast, before or after the date. Keep your refrigerator at 40°F or below and your freezer at 0°F or below. Do not leave perishable food out for more than two hours, or one hour when it is above 90°F. The FoodKeeper app, developed by USDA, Cornell University, and the Food Marketing Institute, lists how long most foods keep in the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer.
Check food for signs of spoilage before you eat it. The FDA and USDA advise looking for noticeable changes in color, consistency, smell, or texture in foods that are past their Best If Used By date.
The Cost of Throwing Out Good Food
Date confusion adds up. ReFED estimates that confusion over date labels costs consumers and businesses about $19.2 billion annually. Part of the issue is people thinking they know what the labels mean. In ReFED’s 2025 survey, an average of 87% said they understood eight common date labels, but only about 53% gave the right meaning when tested.
In individual terms, ReFED’s 2026 report estimates that the average person spends about $762 a year on food that goes uneaten. The good news is that a few simple facts can help you keep good food on your table: a date typically describes quality, not safety, and for most foods, your own eyes and nose can tell you the rest.
What This Means When You Shop at United Grocery Outlet
Now you know what each date label means, so you can shop with more confidence. USDA says food that shows no signs of spoilage is still wholesome after its Best If Used By date, so a date on the package is not a reason to skip a good deal. At UGO, we help you stretch your grocery dollars on the groceries your family already eats. Check the date, look over the package, and take home good food for less.
Sources
- ReFED. Progress on the Plate: 2026 U.S. Food Waste Report. April 2026.
- Neff, R., Broad Leib, E., Khan, A., and Gunders, D. Consumer Perceptions of Food Date Labels: 2025 National Survey. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic, and ReFED. February 2025.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. How to Cut Food Waste and Maintain Food Safety. Content current as of March 5, 2024.
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Food Product Dating.
- ReFED. How Confusing Food Date Labels Are Hitting Your Wallet. March 3, 2026.
