It is the responsibility of a food business to ensure that the food provided to customers is safe to consume. In order to do this, proper food safety criteria must always be followed. This includes ensuring that food is not spoiled or expired. Best-before dates, expiry dates(到期日) and packaging dates are key to knowing what foods are safe to prepare and serve, and which ones should be disposed of. Different types of date markings on packages are used depending on the product.
A best-before date on a food package states when the duration of the food ends. According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, durable life means "the anticipated amount of time that an unopened food product, when stored under appropriate conditions, will maintain its freshness, taste, nutritional value, or any other qualities claimed by the manufacturer (生产商)." This date can be found on a package underneath the words "best before".
This date tells consumers that the unopened product should be of high quality until that specific date. The key with this date is that it is dependent upon the product being properly handled and stored based on the requirements of that particular food product. This means that failure to stick to the guidelines for handling and storing a particular product will affect its quality by the best-before date. This also means that the best-before date no longer applies if a package is opened.
An expiry date is not the same as a best-before date. These dates are required on certain foods that have specific nutritional compositions that could change after the determined expiration date. In other words, after the expiration date has passed, the food may not have the nutrient content as described on the label.
Expiry dates are required for formulated liquid diets, foods sold by a drugstore, meal replacements, nutritional supplements and infant formula. If a food has passed its expiration date it should be discarded and not used.
