What the dates printed on your food actually mean |
What the dates printed on your food actually mean
(NEXSTAR) – Starting next month, foods sold in California will no longer have a confusing food label printed on them, thanks to a new state law. Outside of the Golden State, however, you may still find yourself just as confused staring at your food packaging.
We’ve got you covered.
Dates printed on the lid, label, or packaging of different foods can mean different things. In most cases, you will see the date printed with the text “Best If Used By” or “Best By.”
This is not the same as an expiration date, and the confusion causes billions of dollars’ worth of food to be mistakenly thrown out, according to the FDA. (It’s worth noting that the FDA only requires a “use by” date on infant formula.)
The date is, instead, more like guidance for “how fast to consume [the] food before the quality deteriorates,” Abby Snyder, an associate professor of food science at the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, previously told Nexstar.
“It doesn’t mean that the product is necessarily ‘bad’ or going to make you sick,” said Andy Hirneisen, a senior extension educator and........