Use-By and Best-Before Dates: What They Mean for Food Businesses

1. What Is the Difference Between Use-By and Best-Before Dates?

Use-by and best-before dates are two different kinds of expiry date, and confusing them causes both waste and risk in food businesses. A use-by date is about safety: it appears on highly perishable foods, and after it the product may be unsafe even if it looks and smells fine. A best-before date is about quality: after it, flavor, texture or color may decline, but the product is not necessarily dangerous if it was stored correctly and the packaging is intact.

You will typically see use-by dates on:

• Fresh meat, poultry and fish.
• Fresh milk, cream and soft dairy products.
• Chilled ready-to-eat foods such as sandwiches, salads and cooked meats.

And best-before dates on more stable foods:

• Canned goods, rice, pasta and flour.
• Spices, biscuits and breakfast cereals.
• Frozen foods, oils and many dry ingredients.

In Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf region, packaged foods usually carry both a production date and an expiry date, as part of the food labeling requirements overseen by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA). Imported products may also use the international "use-by" and "best-before" wording. Because the exact rules vary by product type and are updated from time to time, check the current official requirements, or read our guide to food labeling requirements in Saudi Arabia.

2. What Does the Production Date Tell You?

The production date is the day the product was made or packed. It may seem less important than the expiry date, but it is genuinely useful in a professional kitchen or factory:

• Freshness at receiving: two deliveries can share the same expiry date range yet have very different ages. A production date that is unusually old can mean a supplier is clearing slow-moving stock.
• Traceability: in a complaint or a product recall, the production date and batch number let you identify exactly which stock is affected.
• Shelf-life calculations: knowing the total shelf life (from production to expiry) helps you set a minimum remaining shelf life you will accept from suppliers.

The expiry date, by contrast, is the limit. It is the basis for every decision about whether a product can still be used. Both dates only hold if the product has been stored according to the conditions on the label, such as "keep refrigerated at 0 to 4°C" or "store in a cool, dry place". A chilled product left out in a hot delivery van is not protected by the date printed on it.

3. Can Food Businesses Use Products After the Best-Before Date?

At home, a best-before product with intact packaging is often fine to use for a while after the date. In a commercial food business, the picture is different, for two reasons.

First, selling or serving a product after the date printed on it, whatever kind of date it is, can be treated as a violation under many regulatory systems. A commercial business is judged by the date on the label, not by how the product looks. Second, inspectors rarely accept the explanation "that is only a quality date".

So the safe working rule in commercial kitchens is simple: no product is used after its printed expiry date, and purchasing and storage are planned so products never reach that date in the first place.

A related trap is regional date formats. Imported products may print dates as day/month/year, month/day/year or year/month/day, and some use Hijri dates. Train receiving staff to read the format correctly, and if a date is ambiguous, ask the supplier rather than guess.

4. What Changes Once a Package Is Opened?

The date printed on a package assumes the product is sealed and stored as instructed. Once it is opened, a new and often much shorter countdown begins.

Common examples in kitchens:

• Milk and cream: many manufacturers state "use within a set number of days of opening".
• Bulk sauces, mayonnaise and ketchup: usually need refrigeration after opening and have a defined use period.
• Canned foods: once opened, transfer the contents to a clean, covered container in the fridge, because exposed metal can react with the food.
• Sliced cheese and cold cuts: their life shortens considerably once the wrapping is opened.

What to do:

• Read the "after opening" instructions on every product and make them part of staff training.
• Put a label on every opened pack showing the opening date and the calculated last-use date.
• Always use whichever date comes first: the printed expiry date or the after-opening date.

The same idea applies to food prepared in your own kitchen. It carries no manufacturer's date, so it needs an internal labeling system, which we explain in our guide to kitchen food prep labels.

5. How Should You Check Dates When Receiving and Storing Stock?

The best place to prevent date problems is the receiving door. A near-expiry product accepted today becomes an expired product on the shelf tomorrow. Your receiving checklist should check dates systematically:

• Confirm both dates are present and legible on every pack. Reject products with no readable date, or where the date looks altered or has a sticker over another date.
• Set an acceptable remaining shelf life: agree with suppliers on a minimum remaining life at delivery, such as a percentage of the product's total shelf life, and write it into your supply terms.
• Check that outer cartons and inner packs match.
• Record dates and batch numbers for high-risk products to make tracing easier.

Then, in storage:

• Rotate stock so the earliest expiry goes out first, as explained in our guide to FIFO food storage.
• Make dates visible by writing the expiry in large figures on cartons and containers.
• Check dates weekly in dry stores and daily in fridges and cold rooms.
• Create a "use first" area for products approaching expiry, and tell the chefs so they can build them into the day's menu or specials.

Digital tools make this far easier. With LAEQ365, a date check can be scheduled as a recurring checklist, and near-expiry items can be recorded and followed up, rather than relying on the storekeeper's memory. For the rest of the delivery checks, see our food receiving checklist.

6. What Should You Do With Expired Stock?

When an expired product is found, the response must be clear and written down, because improvising here can turn into a serious violation:

• Separate it immediately from usable stock, in a dedicated area clearly signed "Rejected / expired: do not use".
• Record it: product name, quantity, batch number, expiry date and how it reached that point.
• Decide its fate: return it to the supplier if your agreement allows, or dispose of it in a way that prevents reuse or resale.
• Document the disposal with the date, quantity and responsible person, and keep the record.
• Find the cause: was too much ordered, was the product stored at the back, did the menu change?

Near-expiry stock deserves its own plan, because it is far cheaper to act a week before the date than on the day itself. Some businesses move near-expiry items into staff meals or daily specials, others arrange returns with suppliers in advance. Whatever you choose, the decision should be made while the product is still within its date and stored correctly, never afterwards. Keep a simple monthly summary of expired and discarded items by value: it quickly shows which products are over-ordered and gives purchasing a concrete reason to adjust.

Some practices are strictly off-limits: changing or relabeling dates, repacking a product into other containers to hide its date, or "reworking" it into a cooked dish in the hope that cooking will fix the problem. These practices can expose a business to severe regulatory penalties and damage its reputation, quite apart from the danger to customers.

7. What Do Inspectors Look for When Checking Dates?

Checking dates is one of the first things an inspector does when entering a store room or opening a fridge. They usually focus on:

• Any expired product on shelves or in fridges, even a single pack at the back.
• Opened packs with no label showing the opening date.
• In-house prepared foods with no date.
• Packs with no label or an illegible label, or products decanted into unmarked containers.
• A clearly marked area for rejected or expired goods, and a disposal record.
• Storage conditions that match the label, for example a chilled product sitting in a dry store, or frozen goods showing signs of thawing and refreezing.

One of the best ways to prepare is a short daily walk in which the supervisor checks a different shelf or fridge each day, plus a full check once a week. For more on getting ready for a visit, browse our inspection articles.

Conclusion

Use-by and best-before dates, together with the production date, are not just numbers on a pack. They are a daily management tool that protects customers and protects your business from violations and waste. Understand what each date means, check dates at receiving, rotate stock so the earliest expiry goes first, label every opened pack, and handle expired stock with a written procedure that leaves no room for improvisation.

If you run several branches or stores, bringing date checks into one digital checklist saves you plenty of surprises at inspection time. Take a look at our pricing plans to see what fits the size of your business.

Read also: Reheating Food Safely: Temperatures, Timing and the Once Rule · Causes of Food Poisoning in Restaurants and How to Prevent It · Cold Holding and Salad Bar Safety: Temperatures, Ice and Guards

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a use-by and a best-before date?

A use-by date is a safety date for perishable foods; after it the product may be unsafe and must not be used. A best-before date is a quality date for more stable foods; after it quality may decline, but the product is not necessarily dangerous if stored correctly.

Can a restaurant use food after its best-before date?

It is not advisable. Although the product may still be safe, using or selling food after its printed date can count as a violation for a commercial business, and inspectors judge by the label. The safe rule is to use nothing past its printed date.

Does the expiry date change after a package is opened?

Yes, for many products. The printed date assumes a sealed pack; after opening, the manufacturer's instructions such as "use within a set number of days" apply. Label opened packs with the opening date and use whichever date comes first.

What should I do if I find expired stock?

Separate it immediately in a signed "do not use" area, record its details, then return it to the supplier or dispose of it so it cannot be reused, and document the disposal. Never change the date or use it in a dish, and find out why it expired.

How much shelf life should remain when goods are delivered?

There is no single figure for every product, but good practice is to agree a written minimum remaining shelf life with each supplier, often a percentage of the total shelf life, and to reject deliveries that fall short or have no legible date.