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 don't take much notice of dates. Best before means its fine to eat after the Best before date but it will taste better before the date shown. Use by I tend to let go a week depending on whether it looks and smells ok. There is so much waste of food now which I can't stand especially when there are starving people.

I will use most food after the use by dates, I do check the dates and use them along with the look and smell of the food to check if I want to eat it.

I definitely don't eat something after its use-by date and try to stick to best before but will still try something if its not long past best before.

I don’t ever go past use by dates on chicken or dairy products, and only ever go a day or so past on red meat. Vegetables or fruit I’ll use way past though, as long as it’s not mouldy etc

Honestly I don't pay a lot of attention to them, with the exception of meat

I used to follow best before and use by dates religiously - I have recently started taking these dates with a pinch of salt, and guess what no been poisoned yet :D I do freeze a lot of stuff and mark it with a sharpie when I take it out of the freezer which lets me know when I need to use by

We buy our food from the supermarket and post a note on the putside of the fridge with best before dates on.This way we know which meals to prepare first.As long as the food looks and smells freh the date isn't always important.Tinned food is irrelevant to date so we will eat it reardless of the date.

I think it's better to use your eyes and nose as a guide to whether food is okay to consume or not, my son is so fussy and checks the dates on everything if he finds any food is on todays best before date he wont touch it which drives me mad, especially with bread.

Other than chicken i use smell and touch to determine if they are safe to use unless cooking for someone with a bad immune system. I think i am about to cook using 3 week past expiry mushrooms and the potatoes are at least 6 weeks past best before and they taste even better!

I will need eat fresh food that can’t be frozen when the best before date has passed but tinned and packet food I taste to see if it still tastes ok and use that product

I have always taken best before dates as a strict religion! I think its part of my OCD but I will throw out anything that is on or past BB. Yes I know very wasteful but its something within that I cannot bring myself to use out of date products, I have tried and to me taste off thats probably my mind playing tricks on me though. Definatately wouldnt given kids anything out of date.

I trust my sense of smell, taste and sight :)

Best before date is an indication Of a food products shelf life, it’s legally required for manufacturers to do this. Use by date states that the product may be unfit for eating/ drinking after this date.

I don't take notice of either. If it looks and smells okay then it gets eaten in my house.

My mother was born in the period before "use by" and "best before". The senses are the best indicator for fresh food, however food containing preservatives are questionable, we now understand the effects of nitrates on our health, Nitrates are in bacon, bacon is just not good for you. Unless your lucky enough to be able to buy Bacon with no added preservatives.
I think check those advisory dates, be guided by them, but not be dictated to, by them.

I never use food that is passed its used by date, however when it comes to best before dates I am a lot more flexible. I tend to use the rule of its been stored in a fridge or cupboard and smells and looks ok and still sealed then I will use. I use up food that is near its use by date by batch cooking and freezing as long as I use this within a month of being frozen I see no harm on health.

Always follow the use by dates, ignore the best before dates. With fruit and veg if it looks good I use it.

When it comes to best before dates i have no problem eating the food if it passes that date, In fact, i buy a lot of food from Approved foods which sells stock at a fraction of the price as its past the best before date. In regard to use by date, i cant say i totally stick to them. When it comes to fresh produce with a use by date and its gone over by a day or two i smell the food before i decide to eat it.

They're a godsend for the producers & retailers. Food lasts much longer than their use by dates.

I don't stick faithfully to the dates. I use my eyes and nose mostly. Things like Prawns & Fish I would not use past the date and chicken sometimes. If meat has gone grey then it is definitely binned. When I worked in a large supermarket indoor plants has a best before / sell by date which was ridiculous! My neighbour has indoor plants 10 years on that were destined for the bin according to the label.