09/29/2026
Did you know? A lot of food gets tossed simply because people misread “Best By” as “Unsafe After.” So in honor of Food Waste Prevention Week, we're honoring all the Sniff Sleuths out there who trust their senses over a date on the label.
Generally speaking, date labels signal peak quality, not safety. Two exceptions worth knowing: infant formula, where the date is a safety cutoff, and meat, which you’ll want to use or freeze by the date on the package.
Everything else? Trust your senses.
For instance: most dairy is still good about 7 days past the date if it’s been kept cold — but the real test is simple. Smells right, tastes right, it’s good. Smells off? Trust that instead.
Here’s the bigger problem: right now there’s no single national standard for what “Best By,” “Sell By,” “Use By,” and “Expires On” actually mean, every state and manufacturer does it differently, which is exactly why so much good food gets thrown out.
The bipartisan Food Date Labeling Act would fix that by creating one clear system nationwide: one label for quality, one label for safety, no more guessing. It’s currently in Congress. Tell your representatives you want it passed.
Find and contact your member of Congress: house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative and senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm
