Mumsnet users talk Best before and Use by Dates with Sainsbury’s

[EllieMumsnet]

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The team at Sainsbury’s would love to hear your thoughts on Best before and Use by dates for food and drinks. Do you know the difference between Best before and Use by dates? And which dates, if any, are you most likely to ignore? What foods are you most likely to bin if they’ve gone beyond their Best before date? And, more importantly, how do you use up food that’s gone beyond its Best before date – please share with us your tips! What food storage ‘rules’ do you tend to follow? And finally, how do you ensure you don’t have to throw away food?

Sainsbury’s says “We know there’s often lots of confusion around Best before and Use by dates, as well as how food should be stored properly to avoid it going to waste. So we want to hear your tips and tricks to avoid food going in the bin unnecessarily.”

Add your comment, tips and views to this thread and you will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will get a £300 Sainsbury’s voucher.

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

Standard Insight T and Cs apply

I tend to trust my senses, nose and eyes - I have watched many programmes and read a lot on food and dates etc and I guess I pretty much ignore ones on tins and things like spices that can last a long time after their best before date....I do pay a lot more attention to use by dates and adhere to these 99.9% of the time. However, I will not pay full price for goods in Sainsbury's that have either a use by or best before date that expires on the day of shopping. My local Sainsbury's can be slow to highlight these so I do check dates carefully before buying

To me they are a guide and I use my own judgement on whether to use or not, I more often than not will use them after the best before date The use by date again I use my own judgment plus what it looks like and smells like and often use just more cautious with chicken and seafood

I always follow the use by as these are important for food safety, however best before dates are very flexible in my house. Dry and tinned goods are normally absolutely fine to use even when long past their best before dates

I find myself taking less and less notice of them, I use my senses, especially common sense.

I take no notice whatsoever of best before or sell buy dates. You can always tell when you try something whether it's edible or not and as we don't eat meat or fish, it isn't too much of a problem.

don't generally pay much attention to best before, use by sometimes! I check fresh produce by look/ smell and if it looks and smells fine it's good to go in our house!

I tend to ignore best before dates other than on things like orange juice. I once had a bad experience with orange juice from a local supermarket that had best before and i used it two days after. It was like slime! Made me physically sick! (i stupidly drank straight from the carton!)

The use by, i do usually stick to that or at most a few days after. The look and smell of an item is a good indication as to if that product will be ok still.

Quite a contentious issue on our house!
I have to admit, I will mostly stick to use by & best before dates. I will make a point of using things before the dates, but will bin stuff that goes past those dates. OH gets annoyed by this, especially for BB dates, if he finds out.

Best before dates i tend to ignore (within reason), crips and biscuits tend to go soft but most food stuff is fine.
Best before dates I tend to stick by, especially meat products, I will use yoghurt, milk, cheese, dairy based products a day or so after BB so long as they smell ok but NEVER EVER meat!

Fish- stick to it religiously
Meat- 1 day over not a problem unless chicken then i wont
Cheese- doesnt matter. Ill cut mould off and eat happily.
Yoghurt- unless its mouldy or curdled we will eat it well past its bbd
Fruit& veg- on appearance so well past it dates
Tins- no problem
Beers- if it happens ( which is rare) we will drink it past it bb
Bread- toast it or bread butter pudding

Dont like waste and think the dates should be used as a guide line ( sensibly)

I only worry about use by dates if it's meat or fish and even then a quick sniff will tell me all i need to know. Things like chicken and pork need caution, but i find that red meats are usually still okay for a day or two after their use by dates. I'm yet to give myself and anyone else food poisoning so i guess i must be a good judge.

I pretty much ignore best before dates. I often browse the reduced section of supermarkets, some great bargains there if you don't mind the dates being up.

Use By dates I do stick to as it's usually on the high risk items like chicken and other meats and I would hate to take a risk then make my family ill
Best Before dates on the other hand I do go past if the item look, smells and tastes ok.

I tend to follow them to the tee, but my OH is very much less bothered and we haven't had any food poisoning ha ha!

I USUALLY stick to 'use by dates'

Yesterday I realised my pork had a use by date of 13/01/18 but planned to use it today for our Sunday dinner.

I opened it, felt it (feels fine) smelt it (no particular unusual smell) then I cooked it and we all ate it

I don't think people are really made aware of the differences. I only found at myself a few years ago and i'm 32. I generally go by smell.. if it smells like something it shouldn't smell like.. leave it :P

I don't tend to pay much attention to them. If the food looks and smells ok, then I will still eat it (within reason).

I am always wary of best by and use by dates on meat, fish, eggs and yogurts, it's just not worth the risk! I use the sniff test (!) for milk, if it smells good I'll use it! I'll continue to use bread if it still feels ok but always look out for green mouldy bits. Veg doesn't get chucked unless really bad, it's really good for soups and stews even a couple of weeks after its best by.

i only take notice of use before dates and make my own judgement on foods with best before dates. any older fruit goes in cakes, old salad/veg in stir frys. we always meal plan to keep waste minimal :)

I think my nose and eyeas are a far better guide as to whether food is fit for consumption or not; years ago consumers didn't have use by or the food you buy does not have a use by date on it.

We often eat yoghurts, cream, meat and cheeses after their use by date and they are perfectly tasty and edible, my only caution with regards to dates is poultry for which I will take extra care.

I am relaxed about end dates on fruit and veg, but cautious with uncooked meats.

I am relaxed about end dates on fruit and veg, but cautious with uncooked meats.

I am relaxed about end dates on fruit and veg, but cautious with uncooked meats.

I am relaxed about end dates on fruit and veg, but cautious with uncooked meats.

I am relaxed about end dates on fruit and veg, but cautious with uncooked meats.

I am relaxed about end dates on fruit and veg, but cautious with uncooked meats.