Use-by vs best-before dates at Australian supermarkets: what they actually mean

Two different labels with different meanings

Australian food packaging uses two main date labels — use-by and best-before — and they mean different things. Confusing them leads either to throwing out perfectly good food or, less commonly, keeping something past the point where it is safe to eat.

This guide explains the practical difference. For any specific food safety concern, follow the advice of Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) or a qualified food safety authority.

Use-by dates: the safety date

A use-by date is a safety indicator. It appears on foods that can become unsafe to eat after the listed date, even if they look and smell fine. Chilled ready-to-eat meats, some dairy products, fresh juices and similar perishables carry use-by dates.

Consuming food after its use-by date is not recommended, regardless of how it looks or smells. Under Australian Consumer Law, retailers are also not permitted to sell food past its use-by date.

Best-before dates: the quality date

A best-before date indicates when the manufacturer expects the product to be at its best quality. After this date, the food may lose some flavour, texture or nutritional value — but it is not necessarily unsafe to eat.

Tinned goods, dry pasta, rice, biscuits, flour, frozen food and many other shelf-stable products carry best-before dates. It is legal to sell food past its best-before date in Australia, and many products remain perfectly usable for a considerable period beyond it.

The practical implication for reducing food waste

A significant proportion of food discarded in Australian households is thrown away because of best-before dates that have passed, not because the food is actually spoiled. Tinned tomatoes, dried pasta, rice and similar pantry staples that are months past their best-before date are generally safe and usable if stored correctly.

The useful checks for past-best-before dry goods are visual and sensory — obvious mould, unusual smell, or packaging that has been compromised. If none of those apply, the food is likely still fine.

Short-dated products and markdowns

Some supermarkets discount products approaching their use-by or best-before date. For use-by items, buying short-dated products only makes sense if you will cook or freeze them before the date. For best-before items, the markdown is lower-risk.

Our short-dated markdowns guide covers how to approach these sections sensibly.

Connecting to food waste

Understanding date labels is one of the more direct ways to reduce food waste, which has a real cost impact. Our food waste guide covers storage habits and planning approaches that work alongside this knowledge.