Rules for using the sniff test for food in the kitchen

March 28th, 2012

Appliance Talk Fridges & Freezers

What’s the difference between the ‘use-by’ and ‘best before’ dates?

In Australia all packaged foods with a shelf life of under two years need to have either a ‘use-by’ or ‘best before’ date.

More than anything, the dates stamped on boxes, wrappers or bottles will let you know how long the food will last before losing quality.

Can I bend the rules?

For ‘best before’ dates the short answer is yes – it’s safe to eat foods past the official dates.

Food producers will always err on the side of caution and use a ‘best before’ date that is conservative. If you eat food after the date it is likely it’s past the best freshness, and has therefore lost flavour and nutritional value. It’s probably OK to eat though, especially if it has been stored properly.

Use the sniff test to check if food is off.

The Better Health channel of the Victorian government says that as long as the food looks and smells as you would expect, it should be fine to gobble, even past the ‘best before’ date.

This is especially true of frozen and canned products.

Be more careful with ‘use-by’ dates.

Foods with ‘use-by’ dates need to be eaten before that date. But again, use your own discretion and if the food looks, smells or appear spoilt, bin it.

An exception is bread, which can be labelled with a ‘baked on’ or ‘baked for’ date if its shelf life is less than seven days. Indecently, bread is better stored out of the fridge as refrigerated bread will dry out and become stale much faster, according to a US-based shelf life guide.

It’s important to follow the guidelines for storage on product packaging. With the exception of some famously mouldy French cheeses, dairy will always need to be kept at low temperatures to avoid spoiling.

It also pays to remember that food can go off well before ‘use-by’ or ‘best before’ dates due to poor or damaged packaging or storage.

If in doubt, sniff it out.

Sofia loves to keep things clean. Vacuum cleaners, giant washing machines and jumbo dishwashers hum away in her abode daily. Obsessive? Maybe. Passionate about appliances? For sure! She has been writing about appliance trends and happenings since 2010.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *