Federal law does not require most food expiration dates. Learn how food date labels work and what really signals spoilage.

Most dates are about quality, not safety. “Sell by” = store stock; “best by” = taste; “use by” = pay closer attention (esp. refrigerated). Infant formula is the exception Use the 3 checks: stored ...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have announced a joint request for Information (RFI) about food date labeling, which includes the use Australians have been ...

You feel something is off about your milk and hesitate to use it, even after it passes the sniff test, because it's three days past the use-by date. That label can trigger panic, even when the milk ...

The can of chickpeas in the pantry has a "best by" date that passed two weeks ago. The loaf of bread on the countertop boasts a "sell by" date of today. And then there's the Manchego cheese in the ...

Date labels. Expiration dates. Best-by dates. Whatever you call them, at some point, you’ve probably squinted at those tiny dot-matrix-printed numbers and wondered: “Does this mean my cheese might ...

The easiest labeling method is the tried and true tape and marker. Write the date on the tape and stick it on the packaging. You can also use a permanent marker to write the expiration date on the lid ...