Best By, Sell By, Use By & Expiration Dates: What Do Food Dates Really Mean?
Walk through almost any grocery store and you will see dates printed on food packages.
Best By.
Best if Used By.
Sell By.
Use By.
And sometimes simply a date with little explanation.
Many shoppers assume these dates all mean the same thing: the food is “expired” and should be thrown away.
That is not always the case.
Understanding food date labels is especially important when shopping at salvage and discount grocery stores, where short-dated or past-quality-date merchandise may sometimes be sold.
So what do these dates really mean?
Most Food Dates Are About Quality
For many packaged foods, the date printed on the package is primarily intended to tell consumers when the product is expected to be at its best quality.
That may refer to things like:
Flavor
Texture
Freshness
Appearance
Crispness
A product does not necessarily become unsafe the moment a quality date passes.
However, the type of food, how it was stored, the condition of the package and other factors still matter.
Food that has been mishandled can become unsafe even before a date is reached.
What Does “Best By” Mean?
A Best By or Best if Used By date generally refers to quality.
For example, a box of crackers may taste freshest before the date printed on the package.
After that date, the crackers may gradually become stale or lose some of their original texture.
That does not automatically mean they are unsafe.
For salvage grocery shoppers, this distinction is important because some perfectly usable products may enter the secondary market simply because they are approaching or have passed a manufacturer’s preferred quality date.
What Does “Sell By” Mean?
A Sell By date is primarily used by retailers to help manage inventory.
It tells the store how long the manufacturer recommends displaying the product for sale.
It does not necessarily mean the product becomes unsafe on that date.
A customer may still have time to properly store and use the product after purchasing it.
The exact amount of time depends on the product and how it has been handled.
What Does “Use By” Mean?
A Use By date generally indicates the manufacturer’s recommended date for peak quality.
One important exception is infant formula, which should not be purchased or used after the Use By date.
This is one reason it is dangerous to make blanket statements such as “food dates do not matter.”
Different products can have different requirements.
What About Expiration Dates?
Consumers often use the term expiration date to describe any date printed on a food package.
But many packages do not actually contain an expiration date.
They may say:
Best By
Best if Used By
Sell By
Use By
These phrases do not all mean exactly the same thing.
That is why it is better to read the actual wording on the package rather than automatically calling every printed date an expiration date.
What Is Short-Dated Food?
Short-dated food is merchandise approaching the date printed on its package.
For example, a distributor may have thousands of cases of a product that has only a few months remaining before its Best By date.
A large supermarket chain may decide it does not have enough time to distribute and sell the inventory through its normal system.
The merchandise may then be sold through:
Grocery liquidators
Closeout companies
Salvage wholesalers
Discount grocery suppliers
Secondary-market distributors
This is one of the ways short-dated food can reach salvage grocery stores.
Why Does Short-Dated Food Enter the Salvage Market?
There are many reasons.
A manufacturer may have produced too much inventory.
A retailer may cancel an order.
Packaging may be redesigned.
A product may be discontinued.
A seasonal item may no longer fit the normal retail calendar.
The food may still be perfectly marketable, but traditional retailers may no longer want to dedicate shelf space to it.
That creates an opportunity for discount grocery stores.
Does Food Become Unsafe the Day After the Best-By Date?
Not necessarily.
A Best By date is usually related to quality rather than an automatic safety deadline.
However, that does not mean every old product should be sold or eaten.
Food safety still depends on:
Proper storage
Temperature control
Package condition
Product type
Handling
Signs of spoilage
Recalls
A date alone does not tell the entire story.
Packaging Condition Matters Too
Two products can have the exact same Best By date and still be in very different condition.
One may have been properly stored in a clean, dry warehouse.
Another may have been exposed to heat, moisture or physical damage.
That is why package inspection is so important in the salvage grocery business.
Retailers should watch for things such as:
Leaking containers
Swollen cans
Broken seals
Severe dents
Mold
Water damage
Pest contamination
Evidence of tampering
Salvage grocery retail should never mean selling anything regardless of condition.
Food Recalls Are Different
A food recall is completely different from a product simply approaching or passing a quality date.
Products can be recalled for reasons such as:
Undeclared allergens
Possible contamination
Foreign material
Packaging problems
Labeling errors
Retailers should have procedures for monitoring recalls and removing affected merchandise.
A Best By date does not override a recall.
Why Food Dates Matter to Salvage Grocery Stores
Date labels are especially important in the salvage grocery industry because inventory can come from many different sources.
Some merchandise may have plenty of time remaining before its quality date.
Other products may be short-dated.
Some shelf-stable products may already be beyond a quality date.
A good salvage grocery store should have clear procedures for:
Receiving inventory
Checking dates
Inspecting packages
Rotating products
Removing unsuitable merchandise
Training employees
Answering customer questions
What Should Shoppers Look For?
When shopping at a salvage grocery store, take a few seconds to examine the product.
Check the wording of the date.
Look at the condition of the package.
Consider the type of food.
If a product requires refrigeration or freezing, make sure it has been handled properly.
For shelf-stable goods, look for obvious signs of damage or spoilage.
The Most Important Thing to Remember
A date printed on a food package does not always mean the food becomes unsafe on that exact day.
The wording matters.
Best By usually refers to quality.
Sell By helps retailers manage inventory.
Use By generally relates to peak quality, although certain products such as infant formula are treated differently.
For salvage grocery shoppers and store owners, understanding food date labels can help reduce confusion and make better decisions about purchasing, pricing and product handling.
Learn More About Salvage Food
Salvage groceries can come from many different sources, including overstock, closeouts, grocery reclamation, short-dated inventory and liquidation channels.
Understanding food dating is just one part of learning how the salvage grocery industry works.
If you are considering opening your own salvage or discount grocery store, the complete How to Open a Salvage Grocery Store Guide walks through sourcing, food safety, suppliers, pricing, store setup and the full startup process.
Rob Cyr has been involved in the liquidation and secondary-market industry since 2002. Over the course of his career, he has brokered and exported liquidation pallets and truckloads of merchandise throughout the United States and has worked extensively with closeouts, shelf pulls, customer returns, and other secondary-market inventory.
