What Happens If You Eat Food Past Best Before Its Date?

January 12, 2026 •

4 min read

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, a staggering one-third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally, with much of it being needlessly discarded due to confusion over date labels. Understanding what happens if you eat food past best before its date is critical for both your health and for reducing food waste.

Quick Summary

The 'best before' date indicates a product's peak quality, not its safety. Consuming food past this date is often safe, provided it has been stored correctly and shows no signs of spoilage. This is different from a 'use by' date, which is a hard safety deadline, especially for highly perishable items.

Key Points

Quality vs. Safety: A 'best before' date is about a product's peak quality, while a 'use by' date is a strict safety deadline for perishable foods.
Trust Your Senses: For 'best before' items, use sight, smell, and taste to check for spoilage before discarding.
Never Ignore 'Use By' Dates: Do not eat food past its 'use by' date, even if it looks and smells fine, due to the risk of dangerous bacteria.
Proper Storage Extends Life: Storing food correctly, including following package instructions and using freezing, is crucial for longevity.
Reduce Food Waste: Understanding date labels is key to reducing the significant amount of perfectly good food that is thrown away annually.
Rancidity and Nutrient Loss: Past a 'best before' date, food may experience degraded taste, texture, and reduced nutritional value over time.

Best Before vs. Use By: A Critical Distinction

The most common reason for consumers discarding perfectly edible food is a fundamental misunderstanding of date labeling. The difference between a 'best before' date and a 'use by' date is crucial for proper food handling and waste reduction.

Best Before (or BBE: Best Before End): This date refers to the food's quality, not its safety. A product consumed after this date may start to lose its optimal flavor, texture, or nutritional value, but it is not inherently unsafe. For example, biscuits might become stale, or spices may lose potency. The food is safe to eat as long as it has been stored properly and shows no signs of spoilage.
Use By: This is a safety date and should be taken seriously. It is typically found on highly perishable foods like fresh meat, fish, and dairy products that can become dangerous to eat after a certain point. Even if the food looks and smells fine, eating it past its 'use by' date can pose a serious health risk from harmful bacteria that cannot be detected by sight or smell.

The Role of Your Senses in Judging Food Quality

For foods that carry a 'best before' date, your own senses are the best tool for determining edibility. Relying on visual cues, smell, and even taste (in small amounts) can help you decide whether a product is still good to consume.

Sight: Look for visible signs of spoilage. Mold, discolored patches, or a change in texture are clear indicators that the food should be thrown out. For canned goods, bulging, leaks, or deep dents are major red flags, as they can indicate dangerous bacterial growth.
Smell: A foul or unusual odor is a strong sign of spoilage. Most people will recognize the sour smell of off milk or rancid oil. Trust your nose—if it smells bad, it’s best to discard it.
Taste (with caution): For non-perishables that pass the sight and smell tests, a very small taste can confirm if the quality has degraded. If the taste is off or unpleasant, it's a sign that the food is no longer at its best, though it may still be safe.

Comparison Table: Best Before vs. Use By Dates


Feature	Best Before Date	Use By Date
Primary Concern	Quality and freshness	Safety and spoilage
Food Types	Dried, canned, frozen, and other long-lasting products like pasta, rice, and sealed sauces.	Highly perishable foods like fresh meat, fish, dairy, and ready-to-eat salads.
Edible After Date?	Yes, if stored properly and shows no signs of spoilage.	No, do not consume after this date under any circumstances.
Risk of Illness	Low, primarily affects quality.	High risk, potential for foodborne illness.
Legal Requirement	Required on most packaged foods with a shelf life of less than two years.	Legally mandated for foods that spoil quickly and pose a health risk.

Potential Effects of Eating Food Past Best Before

Consuming food after its best before date, assuming it's still safe, doesn't always lead to a negative experience. However, there are some potential effects to be aware of:

Degraded Taste and Texture: This is the most common result. Crackers lose their crunch, cereal becomes stale, and dried herbs lose their flavor profile over time.
Reduced Nutritional Value: Some foods, especially those rich in vitamins, can lose some of their nutritional content past the best before date. For instance, the vitamin C in juice can decrease with prolonged storage.
Rancidity in Fats and Oils: Processed foods containing fats and oils, like biscuits or nuts, can go rancid over time, leading to an unpleasant, bitter taste.

Storage is Key to Maximizing Shelf Life

Proper storage is paramount for extending the life of your food, regardless of its date label. An item's best before date assumes that it has been stored according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Follow Instructions: Pay close attention to storage instructions on the packaging, such as "Keep refrigerated" or "Store in a cool, dry place".
Maintain Proper Temperatures: Keep your refrigerator below 5°C to slow the growth of bacteria.
Freezing: If you are unsure about using a best-before product in time, freezing it can put a pause on its shelf life, preserving it for later use. This is effective for meats, bread, and many other items.
Airtight Containers: Transferring opened products like cereals, pasta, and snacks into airtight containers protects them from moisture and pests, keeping them fresher for longer.

Conclusion: Informed Choices to Reduce Waste

Ultimately, understanding what happens if you eat food past best before its date empowers you to make smarter, more sustainable choices. The key takeaway is to recognize that 'best before' is a guide for quality, not a hard-and-fast rule for safety. By learning to trust your senses for non-perishable goods and strictly adhering to 'use by' dates for high-risk foods, you can significantly reduce food waste without compromising your health. Always prioritize safety, but don't be so quick to throw out items that are merely past their peak freshness. A little knowledge can go a long way in both protecting your wallet and the environment.

Remember: The Sniff Test is for 'Best Before' Products Only!

For more comprehensive information and guidance on food storage, consider consulting resources like the USDA's FoodKeeper app.

This article is for informational purposes and should not be taken as medical advice. For concerns about potential foodborne illness, consult a healthcare professional.

Frequently Asked Questions

It is unlikely you will get sick from eating food that has passed its 'best before' date, as this is an indicator of quality, not safety. However, if the food was improperly stored and shows signs of spoilage (mold, off odor), it should be discarded.

Yes, eggs are generally safe to eat after their 'best before' date if they have been stored correctly in the refrigerator. Many sources suggest they can be good for several weeks past the date. A simple test is to place the egg in a bowl of water; if it sinks, it's likely fresh.

The 'sniff test' is a method of using your sense of smell to determine if food is still good. It should only be used for foods with a 'best before' date, such as dried goods, canned items, or some dairy. Never rely on the sniff test for 'use by' products, as harmful bacteria may have no odor.

Yes, freezing is an effective way to pause the aging process of many foods, extending their edibility far beyond the 'best before' date. While texture might change upon thawing, the food should remain safe to eat indefinitely if frozen correctly.

No, you should never eat food from a can that is swollen, leaking, or has deep dents. These signs can indicate the presence of dangerous bacteria, like the kind that causes botulism, and the food should be discarded immediately.

The nutritional value of food can gradually decrease after its 'best before' date. For example, some vitamins, particularly Vitamin C, can degrade over time with exposure to air and light.

A 'best before' date is a recommendation for consumers about peak quality, while a 'sell by' date is primarily for retailers to manage stock. 'Sell by' dates indicate how long a product should be on the shelf to ensure customers have adequate time to use it at home.