What Types of Food Are Dated?
Open dating is found primarily on perishable foods such as meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products. "Closed" or "coded" dating might appear on shelf-stable products such as cans and boxes of food.
Types of Dates
- A "Sell-By" date tells the store how long to display the product for sale. You should buy the product before the date expires.
Example: sell by: 9/1/2010
- A "Best if Used By (or Before)" date is recommended for best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
Example: best by: 9/1/2010
- A "Use-By" date is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. The date has been determined by the manufacturer of the product.
Example: use by: 9/1/2010
- "Closed or coded dates" are packing numbers for use by the manufacturer.
Example: L10325 (L = lot code, 10 = year produced, 325 = day of year produced) Expiration of product will vary.
There are many different formats for "closed" dates.
If you have a question about a code date on one of our products please
contact us.