Sell by vs use by vs best by: what food date labels mean

Every date label, side by side

There are no federally defined phrases for most food dates, so manufacturers pick their own wording. These are the ones you'll see most often in US stores, grouped by what they mean.

Each phrase has its own guide: best by, use by, sell by, freeze by, packed-on and MFG dates and infant formula. If a package shows more than one, see which date to follow when there are two.

What federal law actually requires

Very little. USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) puts it plainly: “Except for infant formula, product dating is not required by Federal regulation.” Infant formula must carry a “Use by” date under 21 CFR 107.20, chosen by the manufacturer based on tests showing the formula keeps its labeled nutrients until then.

A few other federal rules shape what you see on the package:

• If a meat or poultry label shows a calendar date, it must give the month and day (plus the year for shelf-stable and frozen products), with a phrase next to it explaining what the date means.
• FSIS requires a pack date on poultry and on thermally processed, commercially sterile products (most canned meat), so a lot can be traced in an outbreak. This is often a code rather than something you can read.
• FSIS and FDA both recommend Best if Used By for quality dates. FSIS says research shows the phrase “is easily understood by consumers as an indicator of quality rather than safety.”
• States fill some of the gaps. FSIS notes, for example, that a sell-by or EXP date on an egg carton isn't federally required but may be required by the state where the eggs are sold.

Change has been slow. In December 2024, USDA and FDA asked the public for information on date labeling (docket FSIS-2024-0021, comments closed March 5, 2025). That was a request for information, not a proposed rule. The Food Date Labeling Act of 2025 (S.2541 and H.R.4987) would standardize BEST If Used By and USE By nationwide, but as of September 2026 it is still in committee.

Why the labels confuse almost everyone

A national survey published in February 2025 by ReFED, Harvard Law School's Food Law and Policy Clinic and Johns Hopkins found that confusion has grown since the same questions were asked in 2016:

• 43% of US adults always or usually throw food away when it's near or past the date on the label, up from 37% in 2016.
• 88% do it at least occasionally.
• 87% believed they knew what date labels mean, but on average only 53% answered correctly when quizzed.
• 44% wrongly think the federal government regulates the phrases on date labels.

The cost is real. FDA's 2019 letter to the food industry cites an estimate that confusion over date labels accounts for about 20% of the food consumers throw away.

California's new rules

California is the first state to standardize the wording. Under AB 660, food manufactured on or after July 1, 2026 and sold in California must use BEST if Used by (or BEST if Used or Frozen by) for a quality date and USE by (or USE by or Freeze by) for a safety date, and may not say “sell by.” Food made before that date can still be sold, so older labels will be around for a while. Details, exemptions and New York's pending bill are in California's date label law explained.

The date has passed. Now what?

FSIS says that, except for infant formula, a product whose date passes during home storage “should still be safe and wholesome if handled properly until the time spoilage is evident.” “Handled properly” is doing a lot of work there: continuously refrigerated at 40°F (4°C) or below, never left out more than 2 hours, and kept within the storage time for that food. Here is how to decide by date type.

It was a best-by or best-before date

Check the food rather than the calendar. Shelf-stable items like canned goods, pasta, rice and cereal usually keep well past it; quality fades slowly. Refrigerated foods are limited by their own storage times. Look up the food in the shelf life chart, and throw it out if it smells, looks or feels off.

It was a sell-by date

The date was for the store. What matters is how long ago you bought it. USDA's guidance for raw meat and poultry with a sell-by date is to cook or freeze it within 1–2 days of purchase for poultry and ground meat, and 3–5 days for steaks, chops and roasts. Eggs keep 3–5 weeks in the fridge, and the sell-by date usually passes during that time.

It was a use-by date

Plan not to get here. Use or freeze the food on or before the date. If it has passed, don't eat refrigerated ready-to-eat foods such as deli meat, smoked fish or prepared salads; those are the foods where a use-by date is most likely to reflect safety.

It was an infant formula use-by date

Don't use it. FDA and CDC both say never to use formula past this date.

There is only a packed-on or MFG date

Count forward from it using the storage time for that food, or use the food expiration calculator.

For every type: when in doubt, throw it out. Don't taste food to check whether it's still good.

Most of this is timing. Scan the date as you unpack groceries and FreshScan reminds you two days before it arrives, in time to cook it, freeze it or move it to the front of the shelf.

Free on theApp Store

Why FreshScan treats date types differently

It's tempting to call every date an “expiration date.” That's the confusion this page is about, so FreshScan doesn't do it. When you scan a label, the confirmation card shows the date and the kind of date it found: best by, use by, sell by or expiration. The type stays on the item, so a best-by reminder reads as a quality nudge, not a deadline.

Packed-on, MFG and production dates are scored down so they aren't mistaken for the expiry date. When a label shows two different dates, such as SELL BY and USE BY, the app lists both and asks which one to track instead of guessing. The app tracks the printed date and reminds you. It doesn't make food-safety calls; those are yours, with the guidance above.

Questions people ask