“Best before” is not a throw-away date

The best-before date is the producer’s quality guarantee. The use-by date is the limit. In between, eyes, nose and tongue decide.

“Best before” means: until then the producer guarantees taste, colour and texture. After that the product is usually still fine — yoghurt often for weeks; pasta, rice, tins, honey and salt practically forever. Smell, look, taste.

“Use by” appears on highly perishable food such as minced meat, fresh fish and poultry. That is a real limit: do not eat it afterwards even if it smells fine — you cannot smell listeria or salmonella.

Eggs carry a best-before date 28 days after laying. They are still fine afterwards but should then be cooked through — and in water fresh eggs sink, old ones float.