In the UK, and I guess there are similarities elsewhere, food dates come in two forms.
"Best before" is product quality information. "Use by" is product safety information. If a product says "best before mm/yyyy" you can use the product after that. There'll be a gradual deterioration in quality. But it may well be safe for years after the date (depending how it's stored and whether the packaging stays in shape).
"Use by" means you risk illness if you eat it after the date. Obviously there's a bit of a safety margin built in, and some people are at much higher risk of illness than others.
For what it's worth, I'm in Texas and the dates printed on the prepackaged food in my fridge have similar language; some say "best before", some say "best by", and some say only "b.b." (which is disturbingly ambiguous). I'm sure I've seen products with "use by" or "expires on" labels here though, but I've never interpreted any of them differently. Just seems like a guideline to me, I guess. Products that have an admonishment to "once opened, use within 7 days", like packaged deli meat, get my more thorough smell test.
But I have two questions for you:
- where I live, most beer has only a "born on" date, and apparently never expires. What about over there?
- and my only test for egg goodness is that good ones sink and bad ones will float. I've heard that eggs in the UK are prepared for sale differently - does this test work for them?
"Best before" is product quality information. "Use by" is product safety information. If a product says "best before mm/yyyy" you can use the product after that. There'll be a gradual deterioration in quality. But it may well be safe for years after the date (depending how it's stored and whether the packaging stays in shape).
"Use by" means you risk illness if you eat it after the date. Obviously there's a bit of a safety margin built in, and some people are at much higher risk of illness than others.