What do the various dates on food mean?
“Expiration” or “Exp” is the last date on which a product should be used. If the date has passed, throw it away. “Sell by” indicates the last day on which the product should be sold. You can keep the food two to three days longer than that if it is well-refrigerated. “Best if used by” is the date by which the manufacturer guarantees the freshness and quality of the food. It is not dangerous to use the food after that date, but the food may not have top quality or top nutritional value after that date. “Packed on” dates are sometimes found on canned and frozen food. This is not useful information unless you know when the food was picked and processed before the freezing or canning. As a rule of thumb, frozen foods can be kept for three to four months after that date. Canned goods can be stored for up to a year beyond that date. Foods stored and kept longer may lose their flavor and nutritional value. But they are not dangerous. Products may not necessarily be unusable after the date on
