Food Product Dating

We all have questions about food product dating. What does it all mean? This article will help to answer some of your questions, and give you some background information concerning the process.

With the exception of infant formula and certain baby foods, the Federal government does not require product dating. Contrary to what most of us believe, there is no uniform or universally accepted system used for food dating in the United States. Although dating of some foods is required by more than 20 states, there are areas of the country where much of the food supply has some type of open date and other areas where almost no food is dated.

If a calendar date is used, it must express both the month and the day of the month, (and the year, in the case of shelf-stable and frozen products), along with a phrase of explanation, such as "sell by" or "use before". This date is merely a guide for the store to help determine how long the product should be displayed for sale. It can also help the purchaser to know the time limit to purchase or use the product for its best quality. It is in no way a safety date.

Open dating is used primarily for perishable foods, such as meat, poultry, eggs and diary products. Closed or coded dating might appear on shelf-stable food products, such as cans and boxes of food.

These dates include:

• Sell-By: tells the store how long to display the product for sale. You should buy the product before the date expires.
• Best if Used By or Before: recommended for best flavor or quality. Not a purchase or safety date.
• Use-By: the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. Determined by the product manufacturer.
• Closed or coded dates: packing numbers for use by the manufacturer.

With the exception of "use by" dates, product dates do not always refer to optimal home storage and use after purchase. Even when the date expires during home storage, the product should be safe, wholesome, and of good quality if handled properly and kept at a constant temperature of 40° or below.

Foods generally develop an off odor, unpleasant flavor, or strange appearance due to spoilage bacteria. If a food has developed any of these characteristics, you should discard it as soon as possible.

If a food is mishandled, food-borne bacteria can grow and cause illness- before or after the date printed on the package. An example of this would be a carton of milk left on the counter for several hours. It would be unsafe for use, even if the date has not expired.

Mishandling of food also encompasses defrosted or prepared food that has been left out at room temperature for more than two hours, cross-contaminated foods, and food handled by people who do not practice the proper sanitary measures.

Open Dating

While it is not legal for retailers to modify a label on a product packaged under federal inspection, it is perfectly legal for retailers to sell fresh or processed meat and poultry products beyond the expiration date on the package as long as the product is wholesome. They may also change the date on wholesome fresh meat that has been cut and wrapped in the meat department of the supermarket.

The special case where federal regulations do require a strict use-by date on the product label is on infant formula, and on the varieties of baby food under FDA inspection. You should not buy or use these products past the product date, and you should not purchase them if the product date has been changed. This dating is stringent because of quality and nutrient retention.

Closed Dating

Cans must display a packing code that enables tracking of the product in interstate commerce. This enables manufacturers to rotate their stock as well as to locate their products in the event of a recall. These codes, which appear as a series of letters and/or numbers, might refer to the date or time of manufacture. They were not meant to be used as "use-by" dates, although some cans do display calendar dates in addition to the coding. These dates usually signify peak quality.

As a general rule, high-acid canned foods, such as tomatoes, grapefruit and pineapple can be stored on the shelf 12 to 18 months; low acid canned foods, such as meat, poultry, fish and most vegetables will keep 2 to 5 years as long as the can remains in good condition and has been stored in a cool, clean, dry place.

UPC or Bar Codes

These Universal Product Codes appear on packages as varying black lines above a series of numbers. They are not meant as "sell by" or "use-by" codes, and are not used to identify recalled products. There are simply used for inventory purposes and marketing information. When read by a computer, they can reveal such specific information as the manufacturer's name, product name, size of a product, and the price.

Some Storage Guidelines

• Purchase the product before the date expires.
• If perishable, take the food home immediately after purchase and refrigerate it promptly. Freeze it if you cannot use it within a reasonable amount of time.
• Once a perishable product is frozen, it does not matter if the date expires because foods kept frozen continuously are safe indefinitely.
• Follow handling recommendations on product.
• If a product has a "use-by" date, always follow that date.

Refrigerator Home Storage of Fresh or Uncooked Products

Refrigerator Home Storage of Processed Products Sealed At Plant