Can You Eat Coleslaw After the Use-By Date?
Written by Jordan Morley · Reviewed against FSA date labelling guidance · Last updated 28 October 2026
No. Coleslaw has a use-by date, which is about safety, not quality. Don't eat it after the date, even if it looks and smells fine.
Why the use-by date matters
A use-by date is a safety deadline. This is a ready-to-eat chilled food, eaten cold or only warmed, so nothing is going to kill bacteria at the table. Listeria, which can grow at fridge temperatures and is a particular risk in pregnancy, is the main concern. The date is how long the manufacturer has tested the food to be safe when stored as the label says. The FSA's advice is not to eat, cook or freeze food after its use-by date, since food can look and smell normal while it is unsafe. The date means 'up to and including' that day, provided the food has been kept as the label says. A best-before date, by contrast, is only about quality.
You can also check the calorie content of coleslaw alongside its safety information.
Coleslaw sits in the same 'commonly eaten past-date' category as bagged salad
The FSA/Ipsos survey reported by Which? on 22 July 2020 specifically asked about bagged salads as one of its five higher-risk food categories, alongside cooked meats, smoked fish, soft mould-ripened cheese and pasteurised milk. Around 35% had eaten bagged salads past the date. Coleslaw, a chilled, mayonnaise-dressed, ready-to-eat salad, sits in that same practical category even though it wasn't named by its own product name in the survey.
The FSA's rule is unconditional for this type of food: "never eat food after the use-by date, even if it looks and smells ok." Mayonnaise and shredded raw vegetables do not make coleslaw any less subject to that rule; if anything, the mix of ingredients (egg-based dressing, cut vegetables) is exactly the kind of chilled, ready-to-eat combination the use-by system is built to cover.
Sources checked
Everything in the sections above was checked against these pages on 28 October 2026.
- Food Standards Agency / Ipsos survey, reported by Which?: Are you eating food past its use-by date? (22 July 2020) — bagged salads/chilled ready-to-eat category, 35% ate past the use-by date
- Food Standards Agency: Not checking use-by dates and consuming foods past the use-by date — never eat/cook/freeze after the use-by date
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Common questions
Can I eat coleslaw on the use-by date itself?
Yes: the use-by date is the last day it is safe, as long as it has been stored as the label says (usually in the fridge at 5°C or below) and, once opened, used within any 'use within' time on the pack. The day after, it is past the date.
Why is coleslaw so strict about the date?
It is eaten without a kill step. Listeria can grow at fridge temperatures without changing the look or smell of the food, and it is a particular danger for pregnant women, older people and people with weakened immunity (NHS).
What is the difference between use-by and best-before?
Use-by is about safety: do not eat after it. Best-before is about quality: the food is often fine after it, just past its best. Check which one is on your label.
Is coleslaw more risky than other foods past its use-by date, because of the mayonnaise?
The FSA's survey treats bagged salads and similar chilled, ready-to-eat dressed foods as one of its five higher-risk categories for date compliance, alongside cooked meats and soft cheese. The rule is the same either way: never eat it after the use-by date, whatever it looks or smells like.
Related answers
Primary source: FSA date labelling guidance.
General information only, not medical advice: see the medical disclaimer. Feeling unwell after eating something? Contact NHS 111 or your GP.