Whats the difference between Use By and Best Before dates?
A. Best Before dates indicate when food is at its best. It is applicable to most foods other than highly perishable ones. It is not an offence to sell food after its Best Before date but an offence would be committed if the food was found to be unsafe. Use By dates are applied to highly perishable foods which could become a food safety risk. It is an offence to sell food at any time after its Use By date or to alter the date unless you have the manufacturer’s permission. If you have food on your premises past its Use By date, even if it is not on display for sale, the onus will be on you to prove it is not intended for sale. To avoid putting yourself in that position all such food should be isolated and labelled “not for sale” or better still, thrown in your refuse container.
