What Do Sell-By Dates Tell You About Food Safety?
PDF version. Are dates required on these food products? Does it mean the product will be unsafe to use after that date?
Many fresh refrigerated foods such as dairy products demand refrigerated foods with some type of open date history of the food and indicate whether abuse.
THE consumer who pays attention to freshness should find shopping for milk and milk-related products relatively simple. The highly perishable products displayed in the dairy case are usually marked to indicate the last date on which the product can be sold. In certain areas some dairy products are dated according to local restrictions; otherwise the date is determined by the manufacturer.
In New York City fluid milk and cream are dated according to a regulation established by the municipal Department of Health, and it is illegal to sell them beyond that date. When the dating is up to the manufacturer, the product may still be sold legally after the date passes, but in practice most processors will recall such products or accept them for return.
The expiration date does not mean that the product is unfit for consumption beyond it. Anywhere from a few days’ to a couple of weeks’ leeway is allowed so that with proper storage the consumer can assume the product will remain wholesome for a time in the home. How long not only is determined by storage conditions and usage but also varies widely from product to product and brand to brand.
A fresh dairy product will not have any hint of a rank, sour odor.