What is the difference between sell by and expiration date?

Sell by is a store management tool indicating when to remove a product from shelves; it is not a safety date. Expiration date (often use by) is the last date recommended for use, and for some foods it may indicate safety. Most foods remain safe after a sell-by date if stored properly.

Can I eat food after the best-by date?

Yes, in most cases. Best-by dates are about quality, not safety. The food may lose flavor, color, or texture, but it is safe to eat if it has been stored correctly and shows no signs of spoilage such as mold, off odors, or sliminess.

How long after sell by date are eggs safe?

Eggs can be refrigerated for 3 to 5 weeks after the sell-by date. The sell-by date is for the store, not the consumer. Always crack eggs into a bowl and check for off odors before using.

What does use by date mean on meat?

On raw meat and poultry, use by is the last date recommended for use to ensure safety and quality. If you cannot cook or freeze the meat by that date, freeze it immediately to stop bacterial growth.

Expiration Date vs. Sell By Date: What the Labels Really Mean

Why Date Labels Cause Confusion

Walk through any grocery store and you will see a patchwork of phrases on packaged food: sell by, best by, use by, freeze by, and sometimes just a plain date. Most shoppers assume these are safety deadlines, but in reality, they are mostly quality indicators set by manufacturers. The confusion leads to two problems: perfectly good food gets thrown away, and occasionally food that has spoiled is eaten because someone trusted a date that was not a safety marker.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that 30% of the food supply is wasted at the retail and consumer level, and date label confusion is a major contributor. Unlike infant formula, which has a federally regulated use-by date, most food date labels are voluntary and unregulated. That means a manufacturer can choose a phrase and a date based on when the product will taste best, not when it becomes unsafe.

Understanding the difference between a sell-by date and an expiration date is the first step to cutting waste without risking your health. This article walks through a realistic scenario to show how each label works in practice.

Shopper looking at packaged food items with date labels on a grocery store shelf

The Four Main Date Labels and What They Mean

Date labels fall into four broad categories. Sell by tells the store how long to display the product for inventory management; it is not a safety date. Best by (or best before) indicates when the flavor or texture will be at its peak; after that date the food is still safe but may be less fresh. Use by is the last date recommended for peak quality, and in some cases, such as deli meats or prepared salads, it can also signal safety. Freeze by simply tells you when to freeze the product to maintain quality.

The only federally regulated date label in the U.S. is on infant formula, where use by means the formula must be consumed by that date for nutritional quality. For all other foods, the dates are manufacturer suggestions. This is why a product can look and smell fine days after its best-by date, and why another product can make you sick before its use-by date if it was mishandled.

A quick reference table helps clarify the distinctions:

Label	Primary Meaning	Safety or Quality?	What to Do
Sell by	Last day for stores to display the product	Quality (mostly)	Buy before this date; home storage time still applies
Best by / Best before	Peak flavor and texture date	Quality	Safe to eat after date if stored properly
Use by	Last date recommended for use	Usually quality, sometimes safety	Follow for deli meats and prepared foods; use judgment for others
Freeze by	Date by which to freeze for best quality	Quality	Freeze by this date to maintain quality

A Worked Example: A Week of Groceries

Imagine you buy a carton of eggs, a package of chicken breasts, a jar of salsa, and a loaf of bread on a Saturday. Each has a different label, and each needs a different response when the date arrives.

The eggs have a sell-by date of Saturday, March 15. You bring them home and refrigerate them immediately. According to the USDA, eggs can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 weeks from the sell-by date. So even though the sell-by date has passed, the eggs are still safe to eat for several weeks. The sell-by date was for the store, not for your fridge.

The chicken breasts have a use-by date of Sunday, March 16. This is a raw meat product, and the use-by date is more meaningful here because raw poultry can harbor Salmonella and Campylobacter. If you plan to cook the chicken by Sunday, you are fine. If not, you should freeze it by that date. Freezing stops bacterial growth, so the chicken can be thawed and cooked later without safety concerns.

Open refrigerator with a carton of eggs on a shelf

How to Test Whether Food Is Still Safe

When a date has passed, your senses are your best guide. Look for visible mold, sliminess, or discoloration. Smell for off odors, especially in dairy, meat, and leftovers. Touch for texture changes, such as stickiness on poultry or a dried-out surface on bread. If any of these signs appear, throw the food away regardless of the date.

For foods without obvious signs, use the 'two-hour rule' as a baseline: perishable items left at room temperature for more than two hours (or one hour if the room is above 90°F) should be discarded, because bacteria multiply rapidly in the danger zone between 40°F and 140°F. This rule applies whether or not the date has passed.

A simple checklist can help you decide:

Check the label type: sell by is for the store, best by is for quality, use by may be safety-related.
Inspect for mold, off smells, sliminess, or unusual texture.
Remember the two-hour rule for perishables left out.
When in doubt, throw it out—food poisoning costs more than a wasted meal.

Putting It All Together: The Rest of the Week

Back to the grocery example. The salsa jar has a best-by date of June 30, but you opened it on March 16. Once opened, the best-by date no longer applies; the salsa should be consumed within 1 to 2 weeks and refrigerated after opening. Mold or a fermented smell means it is time to discard.

The bread has a best-by date of March 20. On March 21, the bread is still safe to eat if there is no mold. It may be slightly stale, but toasting it or making croutons extends its usefulness. Mold on bread should be treated seriously: because bread is porous, you cannot simply cut off the moldy part—discard the whole loaf.

By understanding each label, you saved the eggs, the bread, and possibly the salsa, and you only discarded the chicken after it sat too long. That is the practical benefit of decoding date labels: less waste, fewer trips to the store, and a safer kitchen.