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Two date marks meaning quite different things.
Also known as: Use by date, Best before date
A use-by date is a safety limit and a best-before date is a quality one: food after its best-before date is legal to sell and generally safe, food after its use-by date is neither. Confusing the two is a documented cause of both illness and waste.
Distinguish a safety limit from a quality indication: use by is a food safety date and best before is about quality.
Contexts: Packaging
Differ in legal effect, since selling food past its use-by date is an offence in Britain while selling past best before is not.
Contexts: Packaging
Are confused in both directions, contributing to avoidable illness on one side and to avoidable food waste on the other.
Contexts: Packaging
A short printed phrase followed by a date in numerals, stamped or printed on a package.