Difference between best-before and use-by dates as Waitrose scraps one

Waitrose has become the latest store to scrap best-before dates on hundreds of products in a bid to tackle food waste.

Waitrose will remove the dates from nearly 500 fresh food items - including fruit and vegetables - by September 2022.

The retailer has followed in the footsteps of Tesco and Marks & Spencer, who have previously axed best-before dates on some of their products.

But what is the difference between best-before and use-by dates?

Here's everything you need to know.

What is a best-before date?

According to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), best-before dates are used to determine the quality of the food item, not its safety.

The date, which can also be referred to as 'best before end', ensures that the food is safe to eat but after this date, it may not taste the best.

Some products like ice-cream will taste better if eaten before their best-before date (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Best-before dates appear on a wide range of food items including:

• frozen foods (such as peas, chips and ice cream)
• dried foods (such as pasta and rice)
• tinned foods (such as baked beans and canned tomatoes)

The best-before date will only be accurate if the food is stored according to the instructions on the packaging.

What is a use-by date?

A use-by date determines how safe it is to consume the food, which is the most important date to remember.

You can eat food until and on the use-by date but not after - for the most part, although some prefer to use the 'sniff test' to work out if the food is still edible.

The storage instructions of the food item must be carefully followed to ensure that the food is safe to eat.

For example, if the instructions on the packaging tell you to refrigerate the product after opening, you should keep the food in a fridge at 5°C or below.

After the use-by date, some products could become unsafe to eat or drink, even if it has been stored correctly.

Products including meat and milk can be frozen before the use-by date, so you can plan ahead to reduce your household waste.

Waitrose scraps best-before dates

Waitrose has announced a new plan to reduce food waste (Getty Images)

The move to scrap best-before dates is a part of Waitrose's commitment to helping customers reduce food waste at home by 2030.

Marija Rompani, director of sustainability and ethics at John Lewis Partnership, said: “Food waste continues to be a major issue and in the UK alone 70% of all food wasted is by people in their own homes.

"UK households throw away 4.5 millions tonnes of edible food every year, meaning that all the energy and resources used in food production is wasted.

"By removing best before dates from our products, we want our customers to use their own judgement to decide whether a product is good to eat or not, which in turn, will increase its chances of being eaten and not becoming waste."

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