Food & Drink

Best Before Date vs Expired Date

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  • Apr 4th, 2015 6:58 pm
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Deal Addict
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Aug 9, 2013
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Best Before Date vs Expired Date

Is there a difference? I went to the Stoufville flea market today and the candy shop had a lot of items passed the "Best Before Date". The dude over the counter kept telling me there is a difference and that he sells skids per week of this stuff.

I actually think there is no difference because some type of expiry date should be given so if they want to word it differently it shouldn't be justified in the sense where it should be sold. If it's best before March 16th and your selling it to me on March 29, is he trying to sell me the heavily discounted item to ignore the date it was best suited to eat this product?
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Dec 14, 2010
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Essentially I think he's trying to say that you can still consume items that are past the "best before date" because they have not expired. While you cannot consumer items that have past the "expiry date" because they have gone bad.

Honestly I take both dates with a grain of salt. They don't mean that much to me if it's a product I already have at home. Unless it's past the date by a whole lot I have no problem eating it. This is with exception to dairy and meat. Those I usually take a whiff of first. :lol:

But no, I most likely would not knowingly buy any items that were past either of those dates.
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Jun 30, 2006
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What does a best before date actually mean?

A food past its best before date does not mean the food is unsafe to eat. A best before date is simply a promise from the manufacturer that the food will retain its freshness until that date. If consumed after the best before date, the manufacturer takes no responsibility for any loss in quality of the product. It does not mean the food is no longer suitable for eating and does not mean the item cannot be sold.

The only foods that require a best before date are pre-packaged foods that keep fresh for 90 days or less (e.g. milk, eggs, bread, meat). Though not ideal, these foods can be sold past their best before date. There is no requirement for other types of food to have a best before date, and if provided, is simply a gesture of goodwill from the manufacturer to the consumer.

How are expiry dates different?

Foods with expiry dates cannot be sold past this date. There are only a few foods that have actual expiry dates. These foods mainly consist of infant formula, liquid meal replacements, and nutritional supplements. After the expiry date, these food may not have the same nutrient content declared on the label so must not be sold or used.
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carmaster wrote: What does a best before date actually mean?

A food past its best before date does not mean the food is unsafe to eat. A best before date is simply a promise from the manufacturer that the food will retain its freshness until that date. If consumed after the best before date, the manufacturer takes no responsibility for any loss in quality of the product. It does not mean the food is no longer suitable for eating and does not mean the item cannot be sold.

The only foods that require a best before date are pre-packaged foods that keep fresh for 90 days or less (e.g. milk, eggs, bread, meat). Though not ideal, these foods can be sold past their best before date. There is no requirement for other types of food to have a best before date, and if provided, is simply a gesture of goodwill from the manufacturer to the consumer.

How are expiry dates different?

Foods with expiry dates cannot be sold past this date. There are only a few foods that have actual expiry dates. These foods mainly consist of infant formula, liquid meal replacements, and nutritional supplements. After the expiry date, these food may not have the same nutrient content declared on the label so must not be sold or used.

Seems to me you classified both as the same except you used the term freshness for the best before guideline and nutrients for the expiry date. Are you suggesting lack of nutrients is more of an importance to a consumer than the freshness of the quality of food? Nonesense
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Jun 11, 2008
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OrangeBerry wrote: Seems to me you classified both as the same except you used the term freshness for the best before guideline and nutrients for the expiry date. Are you suggesting lack of nutrients is more of an importance to a consumer than the freshness of the quality of food? Nonesense
From my knowledge, what carmaster mentioned is my understanding on this topic as well. Main difference between the two is that goods past its best before date can still be sold and consumed for the most part, while foods that are expired cannot be sold. Because of this classification, many have swapped to using best before dates on their products, which is misleading to some extent.

Also, don't forget that nutrients cover more than just your typical vitamin ABCs. Compounds used in food do change in structure over time and may create adverse effects if the expired version is consumed instead (although this is rare). A change in quality means the product does not taste as great as the fresh counterpart, but that's it.
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Candy is heavily processed and full of sugar, which doesn't support bacterial growth and never expires. As long as the candy is sealed and any chemicals in it haven't broken down (which is extremely unlikely) it should still be good long after the 'best before' date. The texture may be a bit different, but that's about it.
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May 14, 2009
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OrangeBerry wrote: Seems to me you classified both as the same except you used the term freshness for the best before guideline and nutrients for the expiry date. Are you suggesting lack of nutrients is more of an importance to a consumer than the freshness of the quality of food? Nonesense

Do you realize how freshness and nutrient availability are different?

Did you realize the very few items that are required to have an expiry date and why it's important that the stated nutrient panel displayed be accurate in what it delivers?

If you think it's nonsense, feel free to write to the CFIA and urge them to change their rules. PP did not make up that 'nonesense'.

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/inform ... 2357545633
Newbie
Aug 1, 2014
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Snow Road Station, O…
Another thing about best before dates that most people don't know is that it only applies to unopened items. Most of the time when I look at those dates it's for the half-eaten containers of yogurt, mayonnaise, salad dressings, condiments, etc in the back of my fridge. It would be nice if packaging also included a recommended storage time after opening (of course, then you would have to remember when you opened it).
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Dec 4, 2009
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Lisa178 wrote: Another thing about best before dates that most people don't know is that it only applies to unopened items. Most of the time when I look at those dates it's for the half-eaten containers of yogurt, mayonnaise, salad dressings, condiments, etc in the back of my fridge. It would be nice if packaging also included a recommended storage time after opening (of course, then you would have to remember when you opened it).
Actually those best before dates do not necessarily apply to the opened packages in your fridge. BB dates are usually applicable to unopened packages, once an item has been opened, that 6 month out BB date doesn't necessarily apply anymore. More like a week or two.
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Lucky
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Aug 1, 2014
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Toukolou wrote: Actually those best before dates do not necessarily apply to the opened packages in your fridge. BB dates are usually applicable to unopened packages, once an item has been opened, that 6 month out BB date doesn't necessarily apply anymore. More like a week or two.
Yes, that's exactly what I meant. Most of the time when people (myself included) are caring about the dates is when it's not even applicable anymore!
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Feb 9, 2012
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If candy is still soft when past the "best before" date it's most likely fine. The annoying thing is when paying a reduced price for something only to learn it's hard as rock and very hard to chew when it was meant to be soft.
Still perfectly safe to put in your mouth, but why would you want to??

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