sell/use by dates

globetraveller

Does all packaged food have to have a sell or use by date or is this just recommended?

sarah1972

As far as I know they have to.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69316/pb132629-food-date-labelling-110915.pdf

Legislation
9. The key piece of EU legislation for date marking of food is Directive 2000/13/EC of the
European Parliament and the Council on the approximation of the laws of the Member States
relating to the labelling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs (“the Directive”). The Directive
is implemented in Great Britain by the Food Labelling Regulations 1996 and in Northern Ireland
by the Food Labelling Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996, known together for the purposes of
this Guidance only as ‘the FLR’. Food ready for delivery to the ultimate consumer or to catering
establishments must carry an “appropriate durability indication” (which we refer to as a date
mark in this guidance) unless an exemption under the FLR applies (regulation 5(c)), even if it is
being marketed at a stage prior to sale to the ultimate consumer.
10. There are two types of durability indication:
● Best before’ will be appropriate for the vast majority of foods and indicates the period for
which a food can reasonably be expected to retain its optimal condition (e.g. it will not be
stale) and so relates to the quality of the food.
● Use by’ is the required form of date mark for those foods which are highly perishable
from a microbiological point of view and which are in consequence likely after a relatively
short period to present a risk of food poisoning, and so relates to the safety of the food.
11. At the time of writing, general food labelling legislation is being reviewed in Europe under
the Provisions of Food Information for Consumers Regulation. Widespread changes to the date
marking provisions are not expected. The new rules are likely to more clearly link ‘use by’ dates’
to food safety legislation. The new regulations are expected to retain ‘use by’ and ‘best before’
dates leading to a continued need to support businesses in assessing which date mark is
appropriate for their product.

dlusman

globetraveller wrote: »

Does all packaged food have to have a sell or use by date or is this just recommended?

no - they can have "best before"

globetraveller

dlusman wrote: »

no - they can have "best before"

But they do have to have something about when to use them by?


Sarah- thanks for looking that up. I was pretty sure I was right but didn't want to challenge the company without making certain.

dlusman

globetraveller wrote: »

But they do have to have something about when to use them by?

"best before" has nothing to do with when they have to be used by. It is just an indication of when the manufacturer thinks they will be at the best quality. They can still be sold and eaten beyond this date ( sometime well beyond this date )- particulary on most dried and/or tinned products

The problem with lots of discarded food is that a majority of consumers do not understand the meaning of "best before" and assume it should be thrown out after this date.and this is NOT TRUE.

dlusman

From the same document that Sarah found :

Exempt from the requirement to carry date marks under the FLR
1. Loose food, including food sold in catering establishments;
2. Food that is pre-packed for direct sale as defined in the FLR;
3. Any food prepared otherwise than in the course of a business carried on by the person preparing it, such as one-off charity events;
4. Fancy confectionery products which are individually wrapped and which are intended to be sold as single items;
5. Food sold in indelibly marked glass bottles;
6. Seasonal selection packs, provided that individual food items are fully labelled;
7. Fresh fruit and vegetables, including potatoes, but not including sprouting seeds and similar products such as legume sprouts, which have not been peeled, cut or similarly treated;
8. Wine, liqueur wine, sparkling wine, aromatised wine and any similar drink obtained from fruit other than grapes and any other drink made from grapes or grape musts coming within the Common Customs Tariff (see the Regulations);
9. Any drink with an alcoholic strength by volume of 10 per cent or more;
10. Any soft drink, fruit juice or fruit nectar or alcoholic drink, sold in a container containing more than 5 litres and intended for supply to catering establishments;
11. Any flour confectionery and bread which, given the nature of its content, is normally consumed within 24 hours of its preparation;
12. Vinegar;
13. Cooking and table salt;
14. Solid sugar and products consisting almost solely of flavoured or coloured sugars;
15. Chewing gums and similar products;
16. Edible ices in individual portions; and
17. Any additive sold as such which is required to be labelled in accordance with regulation 4(3) of the Extraction Solvents in Food Regulations 1993, or the appropriate provisions of any of the additives regulations.

globetraveller

that is interesting dlusman. I wasn't understanding exactly what item 2 meant so went to FLR and found the appropriate link
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/1499/regulation/22/made
but that list is a bit different. So am confused. Am not well just now so it might just be me at fault!
Basically I have ordered a month's supply from a diet company and have some food stuffs not dated. These are not in tins but in the form of ready meals you have in supermarkets.

globetraveller

dlusman wrote: »

"best before" has nothing to do with when they have to be used by. It is just an indication of when the manufacturer thinks they will be at the best quality. They can still be sold and eaten beyond this date ( sometime well beyond this date )- particulary on most dried and/or tinned products

The problem with lots of discarded food is that a majority of consumers do not understand the meaning of "best before" and assume it should be thrown out after this date.and this is NOT TRUE.

I understand that. I have this argument with OH. He won't( knowingly) have anything where the best before date has past. I just have to make sure I get rid of the packaging first!!


My query was about food that has no dates on at all.

Nada666

Methinks it's the OH that has expired and is out of date. Time to look around for a fresh one.

sarah1972

globetraveller wrote: »

that is interesting dlusman. I wasn't understanding exactly what item 2 meant so went to FLR and found the appropriate link
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/1499/regulation/22/made
but that list is a bit different. So am confused. Am not well just now so it might just be me at fault!
Basically I have ordered a month's supply from a diet company and have some food stuffs not dated. These are not in tins but in the form of ready meals you have in supermarkets.

Argue with the company and tell them that as far as you are aware its a legal requirement and let them get back to you and prove you wrong.

globetraveller

I have heard back- the foods not date marked are brand new to their range and this seems to have been a mistake. Will see if its sorted if I go ahead and get more.