Expiration dates guide you on food quality rather than safety. Most foods actually remain safe past these dates.

Are Food Dates About Quality or Safety?

The first thing to know about dates on food products is that, except for infant formula, manufacturers add them—not the federal government. These dates are voluntary.

Food manufacturers use these dates to indicate peak quality or freshness, not safety, a spokesperson from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) told Health.

Manufacturers typically conduct scientific testing to determine the dates. Here are some commonly used phrases and what they mean:1

• Best By or Best if Used By/Before: Manufacturers use this to inform consumers when a product will have its optimal flavor or quality. 
• Use By: If you see this date, it means this is the last date recommended for use to ensure peak quality. It is not a safety date unless it is on infant formula.
• Sell By: This date, used for inventory management purposes, indicates how long the retailer should display the product for sale. 
• Freeze By: Manufacturers use this to tell customers when it’s time to freeze a food item to ensure quality. 

When Is Food Actually Unsafe To Eat?

For items like milk, packaged lunch meat, or foods that have faster spoilage, you can still safely consume these items past the best-by date by a few days or even up to a week without any safety concerns.

Food that’s in the freezer can last indefinitely—but flavor may start to wane after a few months.2 

Pantry staples like canned goods, cereal, pasta, and cookies can often remain safe to eat for years if the packaging is intact and free of damage, such as rust or swelling. However, like frozen foods, these items may lose quality over time and start to taste stale or off.2 

Still, the absence of a hard expiration date does not mean you can ignore safety. While most people can eat spoiled food without getting sick, you still run the risk of coming down with symptoms like nausea and diarrhea if you do.3

Use your senses to spot potential red flags. Signs like mold, a sour or unusual smell, discoloration, curdling, or an overly watery texture can indicate that the food is unsafe to eat.

Also, consider the USDA's recommendations in the chart below:

Tips To Keep Your Food Fresh Longer

To help protect yourself and your family, ensure your fridge is set to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below and your freezer is set to 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below, according to Vanessa Coffman, PhD, a food waste expert and director of the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness. 

Here are some other expert-recommended tips to make food last longer and avoid waste:

• Keep fresh meat, fish, and poultry away from other foods in the fridge and on the lowest shelf in case they leak.
• Avoid storing eggs and milk in the refrigerator door, as the temperature in this area fluctuates the most.
• Store pantry items in cool, dry areas, but avoid basements or humid places.
• Freeze what you can.
• Keep bananas separate from other fruits, as they will cause them to spoil more quickly.
• Avoid storing vegetables and herbs in the same compartment as fruits.
• Store high-acid canned foods such as tomatoes and other fruits for up to 18 months.
• Keep low-acid canned foods, such as meat and vegetables, for two to five years.
• Use your eyes and nose to determine freshness and quality rather than rely on dates alone.