⚕️ General information only — not medical advice. If pregnant or unwell, always follow the guidance of your midwife, GP or NHS 111. Full disclaimer

Use-By & Best-Before Dates

Written by Jordan Morley · Reviewed against NHS, FSA and USDA FoodKeeper guidance · Last updated 28 October 2026

Use-by is a safety deadline; best-before is a quality suggestion. Which is which, food by food.

Date labels are only half the story of what's on a label — decode the rest with our food additive checker.

Start here: common questions

🟡Eggs🔴Milk🔴Chicken🟡Yoghurt🟢Bread🟢Hard Cheese🟢Tinned Food🟢Chocolate

Use-by foods (safety) (29)

🔴Bacon🔴Bagged Salad🔴Beef🔴Chicken🔴Chilled Dips🔴Chilled Tofu🔴Coleslaw🔴Cooked Ham🔴Cream🔴Deli Meat🔴Fish🔴Fresh Chilled Juice🔴Fresh Pasta🔴Hummus🔴Lamb🔴Milk🔴Mince🔴Pork🔴Prawns🔴Pâté🔴Quiche🔴Raw Chicken🔴Ready Meals🔴Salmon🔴Sausages🔴Smoked Salmon🔴Soft Cheese🔴Steak🟡Yoghurt

Best-before foods (quality) (25)

🟢Biscuits🟢Bread🟢Cereal🟢Chocolate🟢Coffee🟢Crisps🟢Dried Herbs and Spices🟢Dried Pasta🟢Dried Rice🟡Eggs🟢Flour🟢Frozen Food🟢Hard Cheese🟢Honey🟢Jam🟢Mustard🟢Olive Oil🟢Peanut Butter🟢Porridge Oats🟢Soy Sauce🟢Stock Cubes🟢Sugar🟢Tea Bags🟢Tinned Food🟢Vinegar

Other guides

→Pregnancy foods→Breastfeeding→Fridge storage times→Can you freeze it?→Reheating guides→Left out overnight

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Waste less, safely

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Fridge thermometer

Date labels assume 0–5°C — many home fridges quietly run warmer.

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Airtight storage containers

Opened food lasts longest sealed properly, not in a folded-over packet.

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Bread bin

Cool, dark and ventilated — bread's best-before does more work in one.

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General information only, not medical advice: see the medical disclaimer. Feeling unwell after eating something? Contact NHS 111 or your GP.