Best-by or Use-by: That is the Question

 Read more Oily Rag articles by Frank and Muriel Newman

The food families throw out has been hitting the headlines recently. According to newspaper reports, in the UK they are considering scrapping “best-by” date labelling because it is said to be causing billions of pounds worth of food to be thrown away needlessly. A survey carried out by a supermarket found that 55 percent of people throw away food that is past its best-before date, despite the fact that it is usually quite safe to eat.

It has been estimated that New Zealanders needlessly throw away $750 million worth of food a year. That’s around $450 worth of food per household. In Australia, the figure is even higher at NZ$815 for each household.

In reality, while some households are extremely label-conscious, throwing food away before it even passes the deadline date, others are much more pragmatic and frugal. Such families will tend to use their common sense – only throwing out milk once there is a hint it is starting to go sour, bread once it begins to go stale or turn mouldy, and biscuits when they start to go soft.

All food sold in New Zealand must be labelled according to Food Standards Codes, which gives guidelines on food safety and quality. A date stamp indicates the end of a product’s shelf life – that is the period of time that a food can be appropriately stored before it starts to deteriorate. Foods with a shelf life of less than two years are required to show a date stamp.

There are basically three “types” of food date stamp, the “Use By” date, the “Best Before” date, and a “Baked On” or “Baked For” date.

The use-by date is all about food safety. If a product is past its use-by date, it is generally not fit for human consumption and cannot be legally sold. If a product is inadvertently sold after that date, the retailer will have to exchange the goods. There is a fair bit of a debate about whether food that is past its use-by date is still good to eat. The answer depends on the type of food, how long out of date it is, and how the food has been stored.

The best-before date is not about food safety – it is about quality. In other words, eating something after its best-before date is not going to make you sick, but the quality of the food may have deteriorated. That means it may not taste as good as a fresher product and it may have suffered some loss of nutritional value.

According to the UK website, www.lovefoodhatewaste.com, there is one exception to the rule regarding quality and best-before dates – they say never eat eggs that have passed their best-before date.

Food can be legally sold after its best-before date if it is fit for consumption. That’s why it is not uncommon to find out-of-date Best Before items (like chocolate bars) at heavily discounted prices in Surplus Stores, or on the internet.

Baked-on and baked-for dates apply to breads with a shelf life of less than 7 days.

Not all food items need to have a date label. Items with a shelf life of longer than two years, and unpackaged products such as fruit and vegetables, don’t need to display a date.

The other important thing about labelling to watch out for is to read the instructions about how to store the food once it has been purchased and opened. This can be critical to maintaining the food’s safety and quality.

Here are two rules regarding date labels for shoppers who are living off the smell of an oily rag.

Rule 1.
Always check the date stamp. If the product has a use-by date and the date has expired ask the shop keeper to remove the item from their shelves. If the item has a best-by date and the date has past then ask the retailer to reduce the price and offer a guarantee that it is still of good quality and is fit for consumption.

Rule 2.
See rule one!

If you have a favourite money saving send it in to us so that we can share it with others. You can contact us via the oily rag website (www.oilyrag.co.nz) or write to Living off the Smell of an Oily Rag, PO Box 984, Whangarei.

* Frank and Muriel Newman are the authors of Living Off the Smell of an Oily Rag in NZ. Readers can submit their oily rag tips on-line at www.oilyrag.co.nz. The book is available from bookstores and online at www.oilyrag.co.nz.