Bye bye best before

Several supermarkets are choosing to ditch best before dates but what does this mean and how do you tell if food is OK to eat?

WASTE NOT WANT NOT

Sainsbury’s is the latest supermarket to reveal it is removing best before dates from more than 100 fresh produce items, including onions, tomatoes and citrus. This could save up to 17 million food products from being wasted each year!

BEST BEFORE VERSUS USE BY

Food with a use by date applied should never be used past this date (unless frozen on or before that date), whereas foods with a best before date can be eaten beyond that date as it’s about food quality not safety. Following stringent testing, Sainsbury’s has found that its yogurt is safe to consume past its expiration date, which is why it’s switching the labels on its yogurt products from use by to best before.

THE SNIFF TEST

Generally you can use your senses to assess if food or drink items can be consumed beyond the best before date. Look for visible signs of mould, taste to see if the item is stale and smell to check if the aroma is wrong, such as sour milk.