Food date labels: a quick reference.
Use this page for a fast U.S. federal-baseline lookup of Best By, Sell By, Use By and Freeze By. For a deeper comparison and California's 2026 rules, see our complete date-label guide.
The four labels you'll see
The labels read like cousins, but they're saying different things to different audiences. None of them is a federally-mandated expiration date, except in one specific case.
"Best if Used By" / "Best Before"
The most common label. It's the date the manufacturer thinks the food will taste, look, and feel its best — peak flavor, original texture, full nutrition. After this date, the food can still be perfectly safe; it just may not be at its best.
Sealed pantry items like peanut butter, dry pasta, canned goods, and condiments are routinely fine months past this date when stored properly.
"Sell By"
This date is for the store, not for you. It tells the retailer the latest date they should display the product for sale, so there's still reasonable shelf life left when you buy it.
It is not a date that tells you the food is unsafe after that day. Most refrigerated items keep their full quality for days or weeks past the Sell-By date if stored at the right temperature.
"Use By"
For most products under the U.S. federal baseline, "Use By" is another quality date—the manufacturer's recommendation for peak freshness. Whether food can be used after it depends on the product, package directions, time, temperature and opening history; a normal smell or appearance does not establish safety.
"Freeze By"
The date by which the product should be moved to the freezer for best quality preservation. After the Freeze-By date, the food can still be frozen but may not retain ideal texture or flavor once thawed.
So how do you actually know if food is still good?
Date labels are a starting point, not a complete safety decision. Check product-specific guidance, time and temperature, opening history, package directions and discard signs.
- Storage. Was the food held at a safe temperature? FDA says the fridge should be at 40°F (4°C) or below and the freezer at 0°F (-18°C).
- Packaging. Discard leaking, swollen or badly damaged containers even when the printed date is in the future.
- Spoilage. Mold, off odor or abnormal texture are discard signs. Their absence does not prove that a perishable food is safe.
- Time since opening. Opening can shorten a food's useful life. Follow any after-opening direction and look up the specific item instead of relying on the original package date alone.
- Required dates. Do not buy or use infant formula after its Use By date, and follow any stricter package or local rule.
Common examples
Want the specific shelf life for an item? Here are a few of the most-searched:
Or search the full database for the item you have in your fridge. For a deeper comparison—including California's 2026 rules and how opening a package changes the decision—read Best By vs. Use By vs. Expiration Date. For shorter answers, see the food expiry FAQ, best-before vs use-by, and eating food past its date.
When in doubt, throw it out
This is the standard food-safety mantra and it's there for a reason. The cost of throwing out food you weren't sure about is at most a few dollars. The cost of getting a foodborne illness is much higher — days of being sick, possible hospitalization, and (for some pathogens like Listeria in pregnant people or vulnerable adults) much worse.
Don't taste-test food you suspect might be spoiled. Many foodborne illnesses don't change flavor noticeably — a tiny taste isn't a safety check.