Use by dates have different meanings for different people

A new study finds that Americans have different ideas what “Use by” dates on food products mean.

Some see them as indications of deteriorating quality while others think they indicate the safety of consuming the food involved, found The International Food Information Council (IFIC) in a study released this June.

“When survey takers were asked what “Best by,” “Best if used by,” and “Use by” dates mean to them, 48% of survey takers say the date labeling indicates when a product begins to lose quality.

“Another 29% believe the dates signal when the food is no longer safe to eat, while 17% think they indicate when the product should be discarded. Just 5% say they do not know the purpose of date labeling on food packaging,” the IFIC says in a PowerPoint presentation it issued on the survey.

More than a third of those surveyed say they throw food away when it reaches its use by or best by date, the survey finds.

People throwing away still consumable food is an issue in the debate about hunger in the United States. Some advocate for clearer date explanations to encourage people not to dispose of still safe-to-eat food.

“When asked to select one date labeling phrase that they would prefer on all packaged foods and beverages, 21% of survey takers chose “Best if used by” as their top choice. This was followed by “Use or discard by” (16%), “Expires by” (15%), “Best quality if used by” (14%), and “Discard by” (11%). Far fewer preferred “Sell by,” “Freeze by,” or “Donate by,” with each selected by 1% of survey takers,” the Council reports.

The survey was completed online by 1,000 adults ages 18 and older One thousand adults ages 18 years and older from January 18-22, 2025, and were weighted to ensure proportional results. The margin of error is ±3.1% at the 95% confidence level.

Do you know what the dates refer to? Generally food quality, even for fresh meat and poultry which starts to smell after a certain number of days.

Supposedly it can still be eaten a few more days, although most would not want to. The term in meat departments is usually “sell it or smell it” which is why meat prices often are reduced on packages approaching their use by date.