Use-by and best before dates explained
Last reviewed 5 October 2026 against the sources listed below.
Recall notices identify affected packs by their date mark, so it helps to know which kind you are looking at, and which one is about safety.
Use-by dates are about safety
GOV.UK says use-by dates "tell you when the food is no longer safe to eat" and that "eating food after the use-by date could make you ill". You'll find them on food that goes off quickly, such as meat, fish, dairy and ready-to-eat salads.
- You can eat food after the use-by date if it was cooked or frozen on or before that date.
- If you cook food before the use-by date, cool it, keep it in the fridge and eat it within 48 hours, or freeze it.
- Once frozen food has been defrosted, GOV.UK says to use it within 24 hours.
Best before dates are about quality
GOV.UK says that after the best before date "the food is usually safe to eat but may not be of the same quality", and you can use sight, taste or smell to decide. Best before dates appear on frozen, dried and tinned food.
Dates in recall notices
- A notice may list exact dates, a range ("all dates up to and including…"), or "all dates", meaning every pack is affected.
- A recall applies even if the date hasn't passed. Never use the date to decide a recalled product is fine.
- Frozen food can be affected long after the date on a recall, so check your freezer.
When the date itself is wrong
Some recalls happen because the date printed on the pack is wrong, usually a use-by date later than it should be, which could lead people to eat food after it is safe. There have been 34 recalls for wrong date labels since 2018.