Best-before date

The best-before date states until when an unopened, properly stored food keeps its typical qualities such as taste, texture and appearance. It is not an expiry date: after it has passed, a product can often still be fine, but the producer no longer guarantees it.

In beverage trade the date matters mainly for beer, juices and soft drinks, which traders sell on a first-in, first-out basis. For certain drinks, such as those with at least 10 percent alcohol by volume, no best-before date is required. The applicable regulations are authoritative.