I researched for one hour on the difference between sell by, used by, and best by dates. Here is the information I collected from reading a number of articles.
· “Expiration Date” means that. It’s the last day the food item should be eaten or used.
· “Best if Used By (or Before)” date suggests eating the product before the date for the best possible quality.
· “Sell-By” date suggest you buy the product before the printed date, but it doesn’t mean that the product has spoiled…yet.
· “Use-By” is self-explanatory. Basically, the last date to use the product at the peak of quality.
· Danes today throw out 104 pounds of food per year on average compared to an estimated
273 pounds per person per year in the U.S.
· consumers are responsible for 36 percent of food waste in this country, compared to retailers (23 percent), the food processors (19 percent) and primary producers (14 percent), according to figures from the Ministry of the Environment and Food.
· Poultry- 2 weeks
· Beef, veal, pork, and lamb- 3 to 5 days
· Ground beef and poultry- 1 to 2 days
· Hot dogs- 1 week after opening
· Lunchmeat- 3 to 5 days after opening
· Eggs- 3 to 5 weeks
· Bacon- 7 days after opening
· the dates solely indicate freshness and are used by manufacturers to convey when the product is at its peak. That means the food does not expire in the sense of becoming inedible.
· More than 90% of Americans throw out food prematurely, and 40% of the U.S. food supply is tossed–unused–every year because of food dating.
· “Use by” and “Best by”: These dates are intended for consumer use, but are typically the date the manufacturer deems the product reaches peak freshness. It’s not a date to indicate spoilage, nor does it necessarily signal that the food is no longer safe to eat.
· “Sell by”: This date is only intended to help manufacturers and retailers, not consumers. It’s a stocking and marketing tool provided by food makers to ensure proper turnover of the products in the store so they still have a long shelf life after consumers buy them. Consumers, however, are misinterpreting it as a date to guide their buying decisions. The report authors say that “sell by” dates should be made invisible to the consumer.
· "Guaranteed fresh" date. This usually refers to bakery items. They will still be edible after the date, but will not be at peak freshness.
