Date marking is the mandatory indication on prepacked food of either a best-before date, showing when specific properties are retained under correct storage, or a use-by date for highly perishable products, with each type carrying distinct legal and commercial consequences.
In trade practice
Suppliers must select the correct date type based on the food’s safety and stability profile; using a best-before date on a product that deteriorates to an unsafe state is a regulatory non-conformity. Buyers specify minimum remaining shelf life at delivery, which must be consistent with the date type applied. Auditors and border inspection posts check that the format follows Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, including the prescribed wording and date order. Mislabelling the date type is a recurring finding in EU official controls on imported foods.
In a specification
Contracts should state the required date type, the minimum remaining shelf life at point of delivery, and the format in which the date must appear on the label.