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Use-By vs Best-Before Dates: What Food Labels Mean (US, UK, EU, Canada)

What "use by", "best before", "sell by" and "expiration" mean in the US, the UK, the EU and Canada.

The short answer: in the UK and the EU, "use by" is about safety — do not eat food after it — while "best before" is about quality, and food is usually fine after it. In the US, dates are quality dates and not required by federal law, except on infant formula. In Canada, "best before" is about the quality of the unopened food; only infant formula, meal replacements, nutritional supplements and formulated liquid diets carry an expiration date you must not go past.

Date labels by country

Food date labels in the US, UK, EU and Canada
Label	United States	United Kingdom	European Union	Canada
Use by	A quality date, not a safety date — except on infant formula, which must not be used after it. No federal rule for other foods.	A SAFETY date. Do not eat after it — unless you froze or cooked the food on or before the date.	A SAFETY date. After it the food is deemed unsafe and cannot be sold; throw it away.	Not a Canadian label. (Canada uses “expiration date” for a few foods — see below.)
Best before / Best if used by	Best flavour or quality. Not a purchase or safety date; food that shows no spoilage is still wholesome after it.	Quality. Usually safe to eat after it, but may not be at its best.	Quality. Many foods are safe after it; judge whether the unopened food is still good enough.	Quality of the UNOPENED product only. Not a safety date; you can buy and eat food after it.
Sell by / Display until	For the store’s stock control. Not a safety date.	—	—	—
Freeze by	When to freeze for peak quality. Not a purchase or safety date.	—	—	—
Expiration / Expiry date	Not defined federally (some states require it on eggs).	—	—	Only on infant formula, meal replacements, nutritional supplements and formulated liquid diets. Do not buy, sell or eat after it.
Packaged on	—	—	—	Used for foods packed in store that last 90 days or less; comes with how long the food keeps.

A dash means the official guidance we used does not define that label for that country. EU column: the EU-wide rules as Ireland's Food Safety Authority explains them.

Can you eat food after the use-by date?

In the UK, no — unless you froze or cooked it on or before the use-by date. Once frozen, it does not deteriorate, because bacteria cannot grow on frozen food; once cooked, cool it and keep it in the fridge. In the EU, food past its use-by date is deemed unsafe and cannot be sold. In the US, "use by" is a peak-quality date set by the manufacturer, except on infant formula; food that shows no spoilage is still wholesome after it.

Is food safe after the best before date?

Usually, yes, in every one of these countries — it is a quality date. The food may have lost some flavour or texture. In Canada it applies to unopened packs only: once opened, the food's shelf life can change, and it is not illegal to sell food past its best before date.

What does "sell by" mean?

In the US it tells the store how long to display the product, for stock control. It is not a safety date, and you can still use the food after it.

So how do I know if food has gone off?

For food with a use-by date in the UK or EU, go by the date, not by smell. As the USDA explains, the bacteria that cause food poisoning are not the ones that make food spoil, so food can smell fine and still be unsafe. For best-before foods and US quality dates, spoiled food develops an off odour, flavour or texture — if it has, do not eat it.

Sources

Checked against the sources on 16 October 2026. Food-safety advice can change; the source pages are the final word.