Is your food expired? Know the difference between ‘Use by’ and ‘Best before’ dates | Today’s news
When buying a packaged food product online or in a store, it is essential to check the date of manufacture, use by date, use by date or best before date as there are still several reports of them selling old expired products to consumers.
In early July, India’s food regulator FSSAI issued nine notices to Swiggy Instamart following a series of consumer complaints about the delivery of expired, spoiled and contaminated food products, targeting food safety standards in the country’s fast-growing fast-food industry.
Recently, the Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration reportedly directed food businesses to clearly declare the actual date of manufacture or processing on packaged good products.
According to the Times of India, the directive was issued after special inspections of food manufacturing units revealed that food products were being stored for extended periods after production.
They later repackaged it into smaller packages and wrote that date as the date of manufacture. It has been claimed that some pasters and wrappers also followed this practice.
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“Such practices can make it difficult for consumers to determine the true age of a product and its remaining shelf life,” the report added.
Food safety officials said a product’s shelf life begins with the date it is manufactured or processed.
Understanding Product Labels: A Glossary
In addition to the date of manufacture, product labels list either a “use by” or “use by” date instead of an expiration date. What do they mean and what is the difference between them? Here we explain:
1. Best before date: According to FSSAI“Best before date” means the date which marks the end of the period under any stated storage conditions during which the food product remains fully marketable and retains all the specific properties for which tacit or express claims have been made.
After this date, the food may still be completely safe to eat, even though its quality may have decreased. However, the product must not be sold if it becomes unsafe at any stage.
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2. “Use by” or “expiration” means the date after which the product may not remain safe and the food product is unlikely to have the safety attributes normally expected by consumers and the food may not be sold or distributed for human consumption.
3. “Date of manufacture” means the date on which food products become a product as described.
4. “Date of packing” means the date the food product is placed in the immediate container in which it will ultimately be sold.
5. “Batch number” or “code number” or “batch number” means an identification mark displayed on a label using numerals or alphabets or a combination thereof, in short, preceded by “Batch Number” or “Code Number” or “Batch Number” or any unique identification mark such as Lot Number, B.No., L.No., Lot No., Code, LN, CN or BN, B No. by which the food can be identified during manufacture and distribution.
6. “Package/Container” means a prepackaged box, bottle, jar, casket, can, barrel, case, pouch, container, bag, sack, wrapper or such other thing in which the food is packed.
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7. “Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs)” means the average daily level of nutrient intake sufficient to meet the nutrient needs of nearly all (97 to 98 percent) healthy individuals in a particular life stage and sex group.
8.”Retail package’ or ‘Retail Unit’ means packaging that is intended for sale to the final consumer for the purpose of consuming the food.
“Non-retail containers” means any packaging not intended for direct sale to consumers. Food in a non-commercial container is before being offered to the consumer for further commercial activity.
9. “Multi-Unit Package” means a package containing two or more individually wrapped or labeled units of the same food commodity of the same and/or different net quantity intended and displayed for retail sale either individually or as a whole.
10. “Variety Pack” means any package or container containing multiple units of different food products intended and displayed for retail sale.
