'Best Before' dates query

George_Michael

Azari wrote: »

LOL, someone else who doesn't understand English.

If you were lying in the road and I was approaching you in a tank, and the commander said; "stop before that idiot in the road", would you rather I stopped 'before' you or 'before the end' of you? :rotfl:

It doesn't matter one iota what analogies you come up with or what you think "Best before" should mean.
All that matters is what the law considers it to mean, and as already shown, if something has stated that it is best before 3rd May then this means that it is considered to be at its peak condition up until midnight on the 3rd.

Azari wrote: »

On the other hand, a seller could legitimately claim that 'BB' meant 'Best Before end of, because 'BB' does not inherently mean anything and therefore anyone can use it to mean anything they choose.

"Best before" most certainly does mean something specific.
What it means is:
"the date up to and including which the food can reasonably be expected to retain its specific properties if properly stored,"

George_Michael

stevemLS wrote: »

You plainly haven't looked at the law.

Will make it easy for you and link to the specific Regulation

Why look at the law?
An unfounded rant is much better!

Azari

stevemLS wrote: »

You plainly haven't looked at the law.

Will make it easy for you and link to the specific Regulation

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/1499/regulation/20/made

George_Michael wrote: »

Why look at the law?
An unfounded rant is much better!

George_Michael wrote: »

It doesn't matter one iota what analogies you come up with or what you think "Best before" should mean.
All that matters is what the law considers it to mean, and as already shown, if something has stated that it is best before 3rd May then this means that it is considered to be at its peak condition up until midnight on the 3rd.



"Best before" most certainly does mean something specific.
What it means is:
"the date up to and including which the food can reasonably be expected to retain its specific properties if properly stored,"

You two are getting yourselves confused between what something means and a technical, legal, definition.

My response was to a poster who made an unqualified statement that: "Best Before is short for 'Best Before End of'" which is arrant nonsense. I was not disputing statute law.

If s/he had said that, with specific respect to the food regulations, it was defined to mean that it would not have been a problem but even the quoted regulation does not make a ridiculous statement that one thing 'is short for' another.

So quit your pointless trolling.

It's been established for several days now what the legal situation is and no one is disputing that.

George_Michael

Azari wrote: »

So quit your pointless trolling.

The old fallback.
Rather than admit to making a mistake, it's easier to accuse others of trolling when they point that mistake out.

Did you or did you not clearly state that the phrase Best before

"does not inherently mean anything and therefore anyone can use it to mean anything they choose"

It has been repeatedly pointed out, this phrase has a specific meaning when applied to food products, (and this thread is only about this phrase appearing on food products) so no, it can't be used to mean anything that the user chooses it to mean.

Azari

George_Michael wrote: »

The old fallback.
Rather than admit to making a mistake, it's easier to accuse others of trolling when they point that mistake out.

George, you are trolling. Either that or your understanding of English is even poorer than I thought.

Did you or did you not clearly state that the phrase Best before

LOL, you really are desperate to keep trolling, aren't you?

Anyone who cares to look can see very clearly that I did not say that about 'Best before', I said it about 'BB'.

It would be ridiculous to say it about 'best before' (which is why I didn't, but perfectly accurate to say it about 'BB' which is what I did).

It has been repeatedly pointed out, this phrase has a specific meaning when applied to food products, (and this thread is only about this phrase appearing on food products) so no, it can't be used to mean anything that the user chooses it to mean.

Yes, but as I point out, above, I never said that about 'Best before'. That was you in your rushed desperation to continue trolling.

Or you realised that you had no material to work with so you thought you'd just make it up.

You're not even a very good troll. :rotfl:

PLog86

It's odd that they should use sell BY but best BEFORE. It would surely make more sense to be consistent.

I like the American way of saying 'through', because it's unambiguous. "March though May" leaves you in no doubt that it includes May", although that doesn't really fit here.

stevemLS

Azari wrote: »

George, you are trolling. Either that or your understanding of English is even poorer than I thought.



LOL, you really are desperate to keep trolling, aren't you?

Anyone who cares to look can see very clearly that I did not say that about 'Best before', I said it about 'BB'.

It would be ridiculous to say it about 'best before' (which is why I didn't, but perfectly accurate to say it about 'BB' which is what I did).



Yes, but as I point out, above, I never said that about 'Best before'. That was you in your rushed desperation to continue trolling.

Or you realised that you had no material to work with so you thought you'd just make it up.

You're not even a very good troll. :rotfl:

I was going to correct you again, but I lost the will to live.

Azari

stevemLS wrote: »

I was going to correct you again, but I lost the will to live.

I assume that you are still at school and have not been taught even the basics of debate.

The first thing that you need to know is that if someone provides a reasoned argument, saying "you're wrong" is not debate, and is not helpful. It's just pointless chatter (even if you are correct).

If someone says: Because <A> and <B>, then, for this reason <C>, a riposte of 'you're wrong' just doesn't cut the mustard.

You need to either show that A or B are incorrect or that there is a logical fallacy in the argument. This you have not even attempted.

In fact, you haven't even stated exactly what you are getting you knickers in a twist over!

PLog86

stevemLS wrote: »

I was going to correct you again, but I lost the will to live.

At least tell us which of azari's assertions you believe to be incorrect and why. Otherwise you're just venting hot air. Is 'BB' mentioned anywhere in the act? If not you have to assume it's not covered as the law tends to be quite specific on issues like this. If it is, then azari is wrong.

stevemLS

PLog86 wrote: »

At least tell us which of azari's assertions you believe to be incorrect and why. Otherwise you're just venting hot air. Is 'BB' mentioned anywhere in the act? If not you have to assume it's not covered as the law tends to be quite specific on issues like this. If it is, then azari is wrong.

That is precisely what I am doing.

Of course BB isn't mentioned in the Regulations (note, Regulations, not an Act).

The law is very specific, the food must be labelled "Best before" and Best Before means "up to and including".

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/1499/regulation/20/made

Azari goes on to be insulting and offensive to those of us who lack the necessary skills in comprehension, when s/he is him/herself entirely wrong.