What Does a Food "Sell By" Date Really Mean?

I remember an old "Seinfeld" episode. Jerry was talking about milk spoiling at the stroke of midnight after the "Sell By" date. It was very funny, but many people do believe that something similar occurs. One day it is fine and the next day it goes bad.

You probably heard that "you are better off safe than sorry" and you certainly don't want to take any chances with your health, or the health of your family. So many err on the side of caution.

Every year, people throw out millions upon millions of dollars worth of "expired" dairy products, produce, bread, canned goods and boxed items that are still perfectly fine to eat.

The average U.S. family of four throws out more than$1,500 worth of food, every year.

Sometimes it is obvious by the smell or the appearance of food that it has gone bad. It may be rotting, wilted, moldy or just smells bad.

But there is potentially good food that gets thrown away solely based on their "Sell By" dates.

But how can you safely determine what foods are fine to eat after the "Sell By" date?

To make it even more confusing, many of us have opened a package of chicken, well before the "Sell By" date and the smell immediately indicated that it had already gone bad.

The bottom line is that sometimes food is fine to eat beyond the "Sell By" date and sometimes it has spoiled well before that date. Labeling, such as the "Use By" and "Sell By" dates on food, aren't actually an indicator of food safety, as many believe them to be. In recent years, companies have popped up that sell "expired" food at a tremendous discount. Many of them sell that food with a money back guarantee.

A report from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Harvard, found that more than 90% of Americans are throwing out food prematurely, because of misunderstandings of what such dates actually mean.

The researchers concluded that food dates generally lead to good food getting thrown away and may at the same time prompt you to eat a food that's actually spoiled because of "undue faith in date labels."

There Is No Universally Accepted System for Food Dating in the U.S.

It is interesting that unless produce is packaged, there is no "Sell By" date. Loose produce is evaluated by the consumer by color, texture or smell, but sometimes for example, "fresh" apples can be over a year old!

More than 20 U.S. states require dating of some foods, but such labels vary significantly in different areas of the country. With the exception of infant formula, there is no uniform or universally accepted system used for food dating in the U.S. There also are no federal requirement for food dates.

Food may be labeled with "open dating," which refers to use of a calendar date, or "closed" or "coded" dating, which refers to dates that are written in code for use by the food industry.

The Following Is From Dr. Joseph Mercola:

How to Decipher Food Product Dating Labels

There are other food-dating labels that you may see as well, and while many regard them as interchangeable, each actually has its own unique meaning, as follows:

Sell By - Not Even Meant for Consumers

"Sell By" dates aren't meant for consumer use at all. They are there as tools to help retailers ensure proper product turnover when stocking shelves, yet many consumers believe it is a measure of food safety.

The dates lead to so much confusion and food waste that the NRDC report authors suggested making "sell by" dates invisible to consumers. That being said, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) states you should buy the product before the "Sell By" date expires.

Best if Used By (or Before) - Not a Measure of Food Safety

This date is set by the manufacturer to suggest when to consume the food by for best flavor or quality. However, it is not a measure of safety and foods can typically be safely consumed after the "best by" or "best before" date, often with minimal, if any, changes in taste or texture.

Use By

A "use by" date is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. This date is also determined by the manufacturer and may vary widely even between similar products.

The USDA recommends, "If a product has a "use by" date, follow that date."

Three-Digit Codes on Egg Cartons

Eggs with the USDA grade shield (such as Grade AA or Grade A) must display the pack date, which is the day the eggs were washed, graded and placed in the carton.

The pack date is a three-digit code that represents the consecutive day of the year (January 1 is 001 and December 31 is 365).

The "Sell by" date on the carton must be within 45 days of the pack date, although eggs are typically safe to use for three to five weeks after you purchase them.

If you're wondering if your eggs are still good, put them in a bowl of water. If they sink, they're fresh; if they float, they're not good to eat.

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