Best before
What it really means
A quality date on food packaging: the food is at its best before this date but is usually still safe to eat after it — it may just taste less fresh. Different from "use by", which is about safety.
Context, tips & common mistakes
Unlike use-by, best before is about quality, not safety: a biscuit past its best-before date may be less crisp, but eating it is fine, and shops are legally allowed to sell food past this date. Knowing the difference saves real money — 'yellow sticker' shelves and surplus-food apps lean heavily on short-dated and past-best-before items, and several supermarkets have removed best-before dates from fresh produce entirely to cut waste, trusting shoppers to judge for themselves. The confusion runs both ways: some newcomers bin perfectly good food at the best-before date, while others treat use-by dates with the same casualness, which is the dangerous direction. A simple rule holds: best before, use judgement; use by, obey. Eggs are the famous edge case — British advice allows eating them shortly after the best-before date if cooked thoroughly. When in doubt about a specific food, the Food Standards Agency's guidance is written for exactly these questions.