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

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I tend to think the only things with important use by dates are meat products but I would use my nose too. Even then I eat cooked meats a couple of days past date. Dairy can also go a few days over. Cheese I usually remove from packet, can tell by mould if it's gone. Sliced bread sends to be fine (ie. Not mouldy) well padt date. Veg mostly lasts way longer than it says, apart from broccoli and green beans! Carrots, toms, onions, potatoes can last way past their date (don't even know if it's use by or best before as don't check!) when kept in fridge. Fruit and veg seems random as some things barely last till date (strawberries, cauliflower, broccoli) whilst others (apples, pineapples, mangos) can go past and be fine if not even nicer/ riper. I seem to chuck a lot of humous and cucumber. Never gets finished. I do keep jam, ketchup and most fruit/veg in the fridge in the summer to stop it going off/ mouldy. Meal planning helps a lot, as does freezing meat you think you won't eat in time. I love creating recipes with things that need to be eaten asap!

I take no notice of use by dates.
I generally go by look and smell with use by dates as thing can go off early. However if something seems fine more than one day after its use by then I'll cook it immediately to add more life and not feed it to the kids.

Honestly I mostly ignore them, I heavily just rely on smell and look. Even down to milk you can tell when it's going funky because there starts being bits in it and it starts smelling bad, or with the coconut almond milk I get the container starts to expand because of the gross gasses.

I very much believe use and best by dates are only there because stores/suppliers are required by law to add them on but they're just not that important, if your chicken is going green and leaking everywhere, probably time to toss it.

I take the food standards agency advice - ''After the use by date, don't eat it, cook it or freeze it. The food could be unsafe to eat or drink, even if it is stored correctly and looks and smells fine''. So if an item is approaching this date, I will pop it in the freezer, or cook it and freeze it for later - you cannot be too careful with food. When I freeze, I put a sticker on the food with the date I froze it, and use within 3 months.

To be honest, I think people do you use the dates as a GUIDE, but then rely on their senses, including common sense. So, for example if houmous says to eat within 3 days of opening, but it seems ok after 5 days then that's ok. If it had no time limit at all, it would be really difficult to guess. If a yoghurt says to use by a certain date, but it's a couple of days past, then you're probably ok to risk it. The date is there to play with basically but we do need the date.

I take notice of dates but only in so much as after the date I'm more careful to visually inspect/ sniff product before I decide whether to bin or not. I wouldn't just throw away because the date had passed however it makes me more wary to check product. So I guess they are useful for me as a guide.

I ignore most Best Before dates, but don't use anything that has passed its Used By date. My elderly Mum never checks dates and I'm always throwing food out from her fridge!

My nanny used to say " ]Do you think we could have taken any notice of all that rubbish in the war and During rationing. Do you think they have sale by dates in poor countries God gave you eyes and nose and I gave you common sense use those you don't need sale by dates" . i think sell by dates create waste. I was very cautious when my husband was dying of cancer and with my sister who is expecting" But the key is I don't over shop so nothing can go bad , I cook from fresh and I make good use of my freezer but I have brought out of date food in the reduction section and lived to tell the tale.

I used to buy my fruit and veg from Aldi but it had no use by dates on it and I just can't be doing with it, how are you supposed to know how long it is since it was picked, how long it's been in transit and when it will spoil. I have to be honest I use the best before and use by the exact same way but I wouldn't not eat something just because it was one day out of date.

Congratulations to @chibsortig for winning the £300 Sainsbury's voucher!

I always stick to use by dates, especially if it's something like meat. Best before I'm a little more flexible on - I've actually picked up some great reduced products that are on the best before date, and used them the next day no problem.

would never eat meat if kept in fridge and goes past use by date. Save so much money by freezing meat and defrosting the day before when I'm going to use it. Other things I'm not too strict with the 'use by' or 'best before' date. Mostly you can tell if something is 'off' by looking at it or doing the 'sniff' test. Have eaten a yoghurt a week past it's date and it was fine.

I can't get my head around this - I just can't stand the thought of any food going off it makes me queasy so If I see an out of date sticker the food goes out!!

I tend to use both of them as a guide, I pay more attention to the 'use by', but will still use my own judgement. Best before is a very rough guide to a lot of things, I've eaten tins of things that have been a year or more out of date and it's been fine. Also, when I make my own jams and chutneys, there's no date, I just use them up whenever, it's very rare any go off.

I pay more attention to the usage guidelines for when a product has been opened - some things keep for ages sealed, but once opened will quickly spoil.

I'm pretty lax and as long as it smells ok and tastes fine I will use it! I've never been ill from food yet touch wood! My MIL keeps her turkey in the oven once cooked for days after Xmas and I can't believe they have never been ill!

I think bbe dates differ for each product - meat I stick to rigidly but things like cheese milk herbs and veges I use until they don't look/smell good anymore.

My husband is a nightmare and my two sons seem to be following in his footsteps. The three of them are obsessed with BB and UB dates to the point that they'll chuck something that is just getting towards its date if I don't catch them. Stuff like bread/crisps/biscuits! I mean, I only chuck bread if it is too dry even for toasting or has too many mouldy bits to pick out! Luckily my daughter is sensible like me! Generally I'm exceptionally cautious with meat and won't risk even a day past use by date, dairy I taste it and see (eggs we do the glass of water test), fruit and veg I'll use unless it is obviously inedible, things like herbs and spices, flour, etc I'll use months past if they still look/taste okay.

Best before - I don't really bother with those so ignore them.
Use by - I use the sniff test - it was the method used when I was a child, so it's OK to use nowadays too.

My partner is a chef and although he wouldnt use stuff after use by in his workplace he does at home

when it comes to best before - I go on taste and smell, as well as how the food looks - I've used dry foodstuff a couple of months past its best before date. Regarding use by - I again go by the look of the product and smell - but I have used things the day after the 'use by' date if it looks fine ... and I have eaten vegetables and fruit days after the 'use by date' has expired

I tend to have a look at the dates but will judge on what the product looks and smells like rather than rely on dates

I pay less attention to them than I used to. Now I go with my senses

I trust my instincts and nose. Anything with a 'best before' date I will keep beyond the date. If it is cheese or butter, I will check it's quality by sniffing and having a small taste.If it tastes the same as usual I will continue to use it I quite happily keep and use such items as usual after their 'best before' date. Bread is good toasted after it's date. And cheese can be grated and frozen for convenience.
Items with 'use by' dates, like milk, soft cheeses, hams and salads, I will use a few days after their 'use by' date as long as they look and smell OK.

I check to see what the date is but i only use it as a guide. i go by smell and the look of the food.

I always find them very helpful but use my discretion eg. Yoghurts are ok a week or so over