Best before date is the date until which a prepacked food retains its specific sensory, nutritional and microbiological properties when stored under the stated conditions, after which the food may still be safe but is no longer guaranteed to meet its specification.
In trade practice
Producers set the best-before date through shelf-life studies covering the relevant quality parameters, such as moisture, colour, flavour and microbial counts, under the intended storage conditions. Buyers in the EU routinely specify a minimum remaining shelf life at delivery, expressed as a proportion of total shelf life or as a fixed number of days, and shipments arriving short of this threshold are rejected. For frozen and dried products, the date is typically printed on the outer carton and the inner consumer pack, and both must be consistent. Errors in storage-condition statements that do not match the date assigned are a common audit finding.
In a specification
Specifications should state the minimum shelf life at delivery, the storage conditions under which the date was assigned, and the required label format in line with Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011.