BEST BEFORE DATES

Best before dates are an indicative guide of when the quality of food or drink will start to change. They are not to do with safety. Food that has passed its best before date is safe to eat.

Best before should be considered a rough guide rather than a strict rule. There is no reason to throw away food that goes past its best before date, it is perfectly safe to eat and will often taste just as good.

Best Before date is a manufacturer’s guideline date which means it will retain its same taste, colour and texture that it was initially packaged with up until this date. This certainly does not imply that the quality of the contents will have deteriorated to such a degree that renders it unsafe to consume in any way within a few weeks after this date. On the contrary, the contents of the container or tin can remain perfectly safe to eat for long periods thereafter.

Some food for thought…In SA, there are 3 food labelling categories- Use By, Sell By and Best Before. One cannot compare the consequence of reaching the date printed on products that have a Use BY/Sell by date as opposed to a best before date.Use By/Sell by are dates determined by the Heath Department and are directly linked to food safety. You should never buy anything past those dates.

Goods that have best before (BB) dates are completely different.

These dates are put on there by the manufacturer, not the Health Department and it’s all in the words BEST BEFORE. The manufacturers are saying the products will be at its best within those days, it does not mean that once the date is reached the goods are BAD AFTER. Not At all. Over time, the product will, of course, age. Some products will be good for years still whereas some will age quicker. For example, cans and pasta can be good for years after the date whereas, say , chips, will lose their crispness about 6 months after the date, a chocolate will begin whitening after time, a soda will lose its gas, a marshmallow may harden etc. That however is the key point. It is the flavour and texture that may change over time. It is why it is legal to sell past the date. Of course, if you see a tin that is rusted or swollen you shouldn’t buy it. The date printed is not a food safety indication, it is ONLY an indication of when the product is at its best. Another way of looking at it is ,if it was indeed dangerous to consume past the date, the words USE BY would then be printed instead of BEST BEFORE.

The best part- if you are not 100% satisfied with anything you purchase from us, that has passed its Best Before Date you are more than welcome to return it as long its in its original packaging and condition 

As per our returns policy