Best by (also best before, best if used by, BB) is the date until which the manufacturer expects the food to have its best flavor and texture. USDA says it “is not a purchase or safety date.”
Food is generally still safe after its best-by date if it was stored the way the label says, the package is intact, refrigerated food stayed at 40°F (4°C) or below, and it shows no signs of spoilage. Shelf-stable foods often keep well past the date. Refrigerated foods are limited by their own storage times.
How the maker picks the date
No agency sets best-by dates. The manufacturer chooses one based on how the food holds up over time. USDA lists the factors: how long and at what temperature the food is held during distribution and in the store, the characteristics of the food, and the type of packaging. Sausage made with preserving ingredients, or fresh beef in modified-atmosphere packaging, keeps its quality longer, so its date is further out.
That's why the date says so little about safety. FDA puts it this way: “If stored properly, a food product should be safe, wholesome, and of good quality after the quality date.” The grocery industry's own voluntary standard defines BEST If Used By as meaning the product “may not taste or perform as expected but is safe to be used or consumed” after the date.
When food past best by is fine, and when it isn't
USDA's wording is that food should be safe and wholesome after the date “if handled properly until the time spoilage is evident.” In practice, that means all of these are true:
- It was stored as the label directs: pantry items cool and dry, refrigerated items at 40°F (4°C) or below the whole time.
- The package is intact. Cans aren't bulging, leaking, rusted or deeply dented; seals aren't broken.
- It's still within the storage time for that food, counting from when you bought or opened it.
- It doesn't look, smell or feel off.
The date doesn't protect food that was mishandled, and a few dates aren't best-by dates at all:
- Perishable food left out more than 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F) shouldn't be eaten, whatever the date says.
- If the label says
USE BYrather than best by, follow it as a deadline. See what use by means. - Infant formula's date is a required use-by date. Never use formula past it (why).
How long past best by? What USDA actually publishes
You'll find charts online promising that crackers last “3 months past the date” and so on. No federal agency publishes numbers like that, because the printed date varies by brand. What USDA does publish, in its FoodKeeper data, is how long foods keep from the day you buy them, sealed and after opening. For shelf-stable foods, that window is often longer than the time left on the label when you bought it.
| Food | Pantry, unopened (from purchase) | After opening |
|---|---|---|
| Canned goods, low acid (meat, soups, beans, most vegetables) | 2–5 years | 3–4 days, refrigerated |
| Canned goods, high acid (fruit, tomatoes, pickles, juice) | 12–18 months | 5–7 days, refrigerated |
| Dry pasta (no egg) | 2 years | 1 year |
| White rice | 2 years | 1 year |
| Ready-to-eat cereal | 6–12 months | 2–3 months |
| Crackers | 8 months | 1 month |
| Potato chips | 2 months | 1–2 weeks |
| White flour | 6–12 months | 6–8 months |
| Olive or vegetable oil | 6–12 months | 3–5 months |
| Ketchup | 1 year | 6 months, refrigerated |
Canned food is the clearest case. USDA says canned goods “will last for years, as long as the can itself is in good condition (no rust, dents, or swelling),” and FoodKeeper notes they'll be safe “well past the ‘use-by’ or ‘best by’ date” in that condition. Taste, texture and nutrients slowly decline. High-acid foods like tomatoes keep their best quality 12–18 months and low-acid foods 2–5 years, according to FSIS. Many cans carry only a code; see how to read canned food codes.
Refrigerated foods with a best-by date, like yogurt, cheese or bread, are a different case: their fridge time is short enough that it usually runs out before quality becomes the issue. Check the shelf life chart or the guides for yogurt, cheese and bread.
Pantry dates are easy to lose track of. Scan cans and boxes as you put them away. FreshScan saves each one as a best-by date, groups what's coming up, and reminds you before the date so older stock gets used first.
Free on theApp StorePast its best vs. spoiled: signs by food type
USDA says spoiled food develops “an off odor, flavor or texture due to naturally occurring spoilage bacteria,” and that food like that shouldn't be eaten. Don't taste food to find out. Look and smell first. Here is what to look for by food group:
| Food | Just past its best (quality) | Throw it out |
|---|---|---|
| Canned food | Softer texture, duller color or flavor | Can is bulging, leaking, rusted or deeply dented (you can lay a finger in the dent); jar is cracked or lid loose or bulging; liquid spurts out when opened; foul odor; cloudy liquid that should be clear. Don't taste it. |
| Dry goods: cereal, crackers, chips, pasta, flour | Stale, soft or flat-tasting | Any mold, a musty or sour smell, or the package got wet |
| Oils, nuts, whole-grain flour | Mild loss of flavor | A sharp, stale or paint-like smell, a sign the fat has gone rancid |
| Bread and baked goods | Dry or stale | Any mold. USDA says to discard moldy bread and baked goods, since mold roots spread below the surface. |
| Hard cheese | Drier, stronger flavor | Mold that can't be cut away: USDA says to cut at least 1 inch around and below a mold spot on hard cheese; discard soft cheese with mold |
| Refrigerated meat, dairy, deli foods | (Storage time, not the date, limits these) | Off odor, sticky or slimy texture, or past the fridge time for that food. USDA notes a color change alone in meat is not a sign of spoilage. |
Unsure whether a date on a package is even a best-by date? Type what's printed into the expiration date decoder, or compare all the phrases on the date labels overview.
Questions people ask
Can I eat cereal or crackers after the best-by date?
Usually, if the package has been kept dry and closed and the food shows no mold or off odor. The best-by date marks peak crispness and flavor. Past it, dry foods tend to go stale or taste flat rather than become unsafe. USDA's FoodKeeper gives ready-to-eat cereal 6–12 months in the pantry unopened and 2–3 months once opened.
Is best before the same as best by?
Yes. Best before, best by, best if used by, BB and BBE all mean the same thing: the date until which the maker expects the food to be at its best. USDA recommends the wording "Best if Used By" because shoppers read it as a quality date.
Does the best-by date still apply after I open the package?
Not really. The date assumes the package stays sealed and stored as the label directs. Once opened, the food's opened storage time applies, and that can be much shorter. Opened crackers, for example, keep about a month in the pantry according to USDA's FoodKeeper.
Can stores sell or donate food past its best-by date?
Federally, yes. USDA says foods not showing signs of spoilage should be wholesome and may be sold, purchased, donated and consumed beyond the "Best if Used By" date. Some states have their own rules for particular foods.
Sources
- Food Product Dating — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
- Letter to the food industry on "Best if Used By" date labels (May 23, 2019) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- FSIS FoodKeeper Data — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (data.gov, public domain). Pantry and opened storage times
- Shelf-Stable Food Safety — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
- How long can you keep canned goods? — USDA FSIS (Ask USDA)
- Molds on Food: Are They Dangerous? — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service