• Healthy State
  • Careers
  • Education
  • Research
  • Giving
Ochsner Health Ochsner Health
  • About
  • Find A Doctor (current)
  • Find A Location
  • Specialties & Treatments
MyOchsner Logo
Login | Signup
Submit Search magnifying glass icon
Close Search X icon
  •   Home
  • In To Your Health...
  • Food & Fitness
  • Conditions & Treatment
  • Health Trends
  • Prevention & Wellness
  • Women's Health
  • Men's Health
  • Mental Health
  • Parenting
  • I need to...
  • Find A Doctor
  • Find A Location
  • Find A Specialty
  • Schedule An Appointment
  • Pay A Bill
  • Explore
  • About Ochsner
  • Careers
  • Patients & Visitors
  • "To Your Health" Blog
  • Health Resources
  • Medical Professionals
  • Education
  • Philanthropy
  • Community Outreach
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
  • Research
  • Ochsner Health Network
  • Schedule an Appointment
  • Call: 1-866-624-7637
  • Online: Login to MyOchsner
  • Personalize your content
  • patient Edit Persona Persona Chooser
To Your Health

View Newsletter Editions
  • Food & Fitness
  • Conditions & Treatment
  • Health Trends
  • Prevention & Wellness
  • Women's Health
  • Men's Health
  • Mental Health
  • Parenting
Best By Republish

Food Expiration Dates: What Does 'Best By' Mean?

Jun 1, 2022 |
By Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD
Share Facebook Logo Twitter Logo Pinterest Logo Email Logo

If the Food Says “Use By”

Consider the “use by” date mostly a hard-and-fast rule: it’s the date by which time you will want to have eaten the food. Though consuming food after its use-by date doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get sick, it’s best to avoid it because its freshness (and safety) will have declined. If an item is getting close to its use-by date, you can usually extend its shelf life by placing it in the freezer.

If the Food Says “Sell By”

The “sell by” date is just that: a date to help retailers know when something should ideally be sold. Sell by dates exist to make sure items don’t remain on the shelf too long, but you can still consume them at home. The Institute of Food Technologists, a food science and safety group, suggests that foods still have a third of their shelf life after the sell-by date.

If the Food Says “Best By”

The “best by” date is just a suggestion to help consumers eat a food at its peak freshness. Within reason, if something is past its best by date, it is still safe (and tasty) to eat.

Tips and Tricks

  • Store bread in the fridge or, better yet, the freezer to extend its shelf life.
  • Are your eggs past their date? They still might be good. Place an egg in a glass of water – if it sinks, it’s usable. If it floats, toss it. Floating indicates a buildup of sulfur gases inside the egg.
  • Apples can be stored fresh in the fridge for three weeks or cooked in the freezer for up to eight months.
  • Store potatoes with apples to keep them from sprouting. Apples release ethylene gases that prevent potatoes from sprouting.

For more information on food shelf life guide, visit StillTasty.

If you are suffering from symptoms of food-borne illness, visit your closest Ochsner Urgent Care or have a virtual visit through Ochsner Anywhere Care.


Tags
food expiration dates
food poisoning
food-related illnesses

You may also be interested in:

Thinkstockphotos 470217398
Food & Fitness
March 25, 2022

Healthy Late-Night Snacks

Whip up a protein waffle, Greek yogurt fruit pops, or one of these 10 late-night snack ideas which are all under 200 calories.
By Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD
Ecofriendly food containers
Food & Fitness
June 1, 2022

Best and Worst Food Storage Containers

Many plastic containers contain chemicals linked to health issues. Here are the best picks to store and transport your food and drink this summer.
By Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD
Patient Talking About BMI Calculation
Food & Fitness
May 31, 2022

The Meaning of BMI, How to Calculate It and How to Understand It

BMI is an easy and inexpensive tool to utilize to assess your risk of underlying health conditions.
By Tammy Nunez

email envelop icon Comments about the blog? Send us an email!

Ochsner Health

Schedule An Appointment: 1-866-624-7637

Follow us: Facebook Follow Ochsner Health on TikTok Twitter Follow Ochsner Health on Twitter LinkedIn Visit Ochsner Health's LinkedIn page Instagram Follow Ochsner Health on Instagram YouTube Subscribe to Ochsner Health on YouTube Pinterest Follow Ochsner Health on Pinterest TikTok Follow Ochsner Health on TikTok

Healthy living tips, delivered weekly to your inbox.

Sign Up

Patients & Visitors

  • Billing & Financial Services
  • Insurance Information
  • International Patients
  • Request Medical Records
  • Share Your Story
  • Read Patient Stories

Medical Professionals

  • Transfer a Patient
  • Refer a Patient

Health Resources

  • To Your Health Blog
  • Golden Opportunity
  • Healthy State
  • Ochsner Magazine

Job Seekers

  • Career Paths
  • Benefits
  • Open Positions

Employees

  • Webmail
  • OHSLink
  • Workday

Employers

  • Corporate Wellness
  • Medicare Advantage Plans

Community Outreach

  • Classes & Events
  • Programs
  • Community Health Needs Assessment
  • Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Sciences Academy

Education

  • Graduate Medical Education
  • Clinical Medical Education
  • Continuing Medical Education
  • Medical Library
  • Publishing Services
  • Medical Illustrations

Research

  • Clinical Trials
  • Applied Health Services Research
  • Clinical Research & Trials
  • Nursing Research
  • Translational Research

Giving

  • Donate
  • Volunteer

About Ochsner

  • Mission & Vision
  • History
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
  • Annual Report
  • Outcomes & Honors
  • News & Media
  • Alumni
  • Ochsner Health Network
  • Contact Us

Shop

  • O Bar
  • Optical Shop
  • Ochsner Fitness Center
  • Brent House Hotel

© Ochsner Health  | Notice of Privacy Practices | Terms of Use | Vendor Information

Ochsner accepts all major insurances.

Ochsner is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, founded on providing the best patient care, research, and education.

We are one of the country’s largest non-university based academic medical centers.

Ochsner is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Community Needs Health Assessment

EpicMobile Tablet | EpicMobile Phone

newsletter icon

Subscribe to Our Newsletters

newsletter icon

Select the newsletters you'd like to receive.

Please select at least one category to continue.

Curious about our newsletters?

View details for each edition
newsletter icon

Let us know where to send your newsletters.

To Your Health- Food and Fitness:
To Your Health- General:
To Your Health- Men’s Health:
To Your Health- Parenting:
To Your Health- Women’s Health:
To Your Health-Mental Health Monthly":
To Your Health- Skin Deep:

Source:
Source Description:
Marketing Goal:
newsletter icon

You're all set!

We’ll send newsletters full of healthy living tips right to your inbox.

Ochsner Health System
magnifying glass icon
ESC to Close

Begin Typing to Search

Select the drop-down to filter Search by Blog Articles or Sitewide