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What do “use by” and “best before” dates mean and is it illegal for a shop to have out of date foods on display?

April 26, 2017dates display foods illegal mean

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What do “use by” and “best before” dates mean and is it illegal for a shop to have out of date foods on display?

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“Best before” dates are used on food with a long shelf life (for example, biscuits) and are for guidance only (quality related). A “use by” date is used on foods with a short shelf life (for example, packaged sandwiches). It is illegal to sell food after it’s “use by” date (irrispective of the condition of the food). It is not illegal to sell good condition food beyond its ‘best before’ date, but it is bad practice to do so. However, if food beyond its ‘best before’ date is in poor condition then it may well be illegal to sell it. The best advice is to report shops that consistently sell out of date food to the Food Safety Team at Environmental Health, and shop elsewhere!