{"id":4161,"date":"2015-11-16T20:42:00","date_gmt":"2015-11-17T02:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/live-gordon-food-service.pantheonsite.io\/understand-the-difference-in-date-codes\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T09:18:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T14:18:36","slug":"understand-the-difference-in-date-codes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gfs.com\/es-us\/ideas\/understand-the-difference-in-date-codes\/","title":{"rendered":"Understand the Difference in Date Codes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Have you ever purchased food and been confused about why some items have a \u201cUse-By\u201d date and some have a \u201cSell-By\u201d date? &nbsp;Here\u2019s the quick run-down on what these different terms mean.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-defining-date-codes\">Defining date codes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-open-dating\">Open dating<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>\u201cSell-By\u201d<\/strong> dates tell a store how long to display a product for sale.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>\u201cBest if Used By (or Before)\u201d<\/strong> dates indicate for best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase date or a safety date.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>\u201cUse-By\u201d<\/strong> dates are the last date recommended to use the product while at peak quality. This is determined by the manufacturer of the product.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-closed-dating\">Closed dating<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Packing numbers for use by the manufacturer only.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>According to federal regulations, open dating is not required except on infant formula (\u201cUse-By\u201d dates are mandated for these products). Open dating on food products is the use of a calendar date to help determine how long a food is at its best quality. It is important to note that open dating is NOT a food safety date. After the date passes, a food product may not be at its best quality, but it should still be safe if properly handled and stored at proper temperatures. If you freeze a perishable item, it doesn\u2019t matter what date is stamped on the product, because foods kept frozen are safe indefinitely.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Canned products include a packing code (a series of numbers and\/or letters) that enables tracking of a product for interstate commerce. This is an example of closed dating. This type of dating allows manufacturers to rotate their stock and to locate products in the event of a recall. These dates are NOT meant for consumers to interpret as \u201cUse-By\u201d dates. There is no book or website that explains the translations of the codes into dates since each manufacturer can use a unique coding system. Canned foods are safe to consume indefinitely as long as they are not exposed to freezing temperatures or temperatures above 90\u00baF (32.2\u00baC).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If food you have purchased develops an off odor, flavor or appearance due to spoilage- you should not use it for quality reasons. If foods are mishandled (i.e. food left out for several hours at a picnic on a hot day), the product could potentially cause foodborne illness before the \u201cUse-By\u201d or \u201cBest if Used By\u201d date. &nbsp;If you are ever unsure of the safety of a food product, it is always safer to dispose of the item. In other words, \u201cwhen in doubt, throw it out!\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What do the &#8220;sell by,&#8221; &#8220;best if used by&#8221; or &#8220;use by&#8221; dates mean?<\/p>","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":4162,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-running-your-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.9 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Understand the Difference in Date Codes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Understand essential food date codes like &quot;sell by&quot; and &quot;use by&quot; to ensure food safety compliance, minimize product waste, and streamline inventory management in your operation.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gfs.com\/es-us\/ideas\/understand-the-difference-in-date-codes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Understand the Difference in Date Codes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Understand essential food date codes like &quot;sell by&quot; and &quot;use by&quot; to ensure food safety compliance, minimize product waste, and streamline inventory management in your operation.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/gfs.com\/es-us\/ideas\/understand-the-difference-in-date-codes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gordon Food Service\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" 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