Best before vs use by: which date should you track?

Best before: a quality date

A best before date tells you how long the food keeps its best taste and texture when stored as labeled. It's common on dry, canned and frozen foods. After the date, the product may be a bit stale or less flavorful but is often still safe if the packaging is intact and it looks and smells normal.

Use by: a safety date

A use by date appears on perishable foods such as fresh meat, fish and some dairy. It's the last day the food is expected to be safe when stored correctly. The general rule from food safety agencies is simple: don't eat it after the use by date, even if it looks fine.

Sell by and Korea's switch to 소비기한

'Sell by' dates, still seen in some countries, are for store stock rotation rather than for you. Korea used a similar sell-by style date (유통기한) for decades and switched to a use-by style date (소비기한) starting in January 2023, with a later start for some items such as milk.

Use-by style dates are usually longer than the old sell-by dates, which makes proper storage even more important. If chilled food sat out for a while, the printed date is no longer a reliable guide.

Which date to log in your fridge app

A simple rule set keeps logging quick.

• If the pack shows a use by date, log that date as is.
• Once opened, follow the 'use within X days of opening' note and move the date earlier.
• For best before items, log the printed date and add 'best before' in the note.
• For homemade food and leftovers, count from the day you made them and keep it short.
• If storage was doubtful, such as a long trip home in the heat, set the date earlier.

When to be reminded

A same-day reminder often comes too late: if you weren't planning to cook it that evening, it ends up in the bin. For short-life food like meat, fish and dairy, 1-3 days ahead gives you time to change the menu. For longer-life freezer or pantry items, 1 week ahead works better.

Dates are a guide, not a guarantee. If food smells or looks wrong, or a package is swollen, don't eat it regardless of the date, and follow your local food safety authority for health questions.

How Fridgemo helps

Type a food name in Fridgemo and a typical shelf life fills in; if the pack says otherwise, fix it with the calendar or the +3 days and +1 week buttons. Add 'use by' or 'opened' in the note, and edit the date at any time after saving.

Choose reminders for the same day, 1 day, 3 days or 1 week before, at the time you like. D-day badges and a soonest-first list show what to eat next. No sign-up; your data stays on your phone.