How to Read Expiration Dates on Products

Every year, a lot of food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical items are thrown away simply because of misinterpreting the expiration date. Let’s learn the difference between an expiration code (the best time for a product to be consumed) and a production date code (the time when the product is packaged). By knowing how to read these codes, you’ll have a better understanding of how long foods stay fresh, how long medications last, and when cosmetics wear off. This understanding will help you be a savvy consumer and save money because nothing is wasted.

Table of Contents

Read expiration date

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Find dates that come with the words “use by”, “sell by” (sell first), “best by” (best use first). Check the bottom of the product, the side of the container, the top of the cap or the neck of the bottle. Dates will be stamped and sometimes a bit difficult to find or read depending on the location. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Many beauty products don’t come with an expiration date, but others do. Note: most beauty products have a shelf life of 30 months. Once opened, you should use within 1 year. However, if the product does not develop a strange odor or change in texture after the expiration date, you can judge for yourself whether to continue using it.
The types of dates that come with this label are the expiry dates that the company produces or the food is intended for the consumer or the display person in the store. There is also a pack date code, but this time is for the manufacturer instead of the consumer.

Do you know? The shelf life of food, medicine and cosmetics is not strictly regulated by the Market Administration. This time is entirely determined by the product manufacturer. This is part of the reason why these codes are sometimes hard to read and understand.

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Use the “best by” date to determine the maximum time a product will retain its freshness or effectiveness. This is information intended for consumers. However, this does not mean that the food item, drug or beauty product will begin to degrade after that date. Simply the product is at its freshest or most effective when used before this date. ^{[2] X Trusted Source Food Safety and Inspection Service of the USDA Go to Source}

If the food has a bad smell, is moldy or discolored, throw it out immediately. If the scent and color are okay, and the product is stored properly, you can still eat it.
If cosmetics start to smell strange or change in texture, it is most likely no longer good to use. For example, lotion can become clumpy or liquid foundation separates between water and powder.
It is difficult to determine whether the drug is still working or not. Most over-the-counter medications are effective for up to 10 years from the expiration date. It’s best to ask yourself if you need the drug to be 100% effective. If so, you should replace the expired medicine.

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Take the product off the shelf after the “sell by” date if you are a retailer. While you can still consume products at least 7-10 days after the sale date, most retailers are willing to take these items off the shelves to make room for new arrivals. Medicines and cosmetics usually do not have an expiration date, unless they contain fresh ingredients.

If you’re shopping and find something out of date, you can still buy it. Just keep in mind that the product should be used within 1 week.

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See the “use by” date to see when the product starts to change. This timeline does not mean that the food, cosmetic or drug is no longer safe or has deteriorated. However, you need to be extra careful with food because it may have started to go rancid. With other products, when the expiry date is over, it is likely that the product will no longer be as effective as it was originally. ^{[3] X Trusted Source Food Safety and Inspection Service of the USDA Go to Source}

Shelf life has more to do with product quality than safety. Remember that these dates are chosen by the manufacturer, not the Market Administration.
Some food items also have a “freeze by” date, through which consumers can know when to move food from the refrigerator to the freezer for best preservation.
Pay attention to strange odors or changes in the texture of foods and cosmetics. These signs indicate that the product may no longer be good for use or consumption.
You can rest assured that the medicine will still work if purchased within the past few years. However, you can buy it again if you’re worried that your medication isn’t getting the most out of it, such as a pain reliever or allergy medicine.

Read production date code

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Look for the manufacturing date code or the phrase “made/manufactured on”. On beauty products and canned goods, you can find codes as alphanumeric or just numbers. If the code doesn’t include words like “use by”, “sell by” or “best by”, this is the product’s manufacturing date. The production date code has several different patterns. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Tip: Be aware that the production date code does not represent the product’s shelf life. Instead, this information is used for inventory and tracking purposes on the part of the manufacturer.

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Pay attention to the letters that indicate the production month of the product. If the code you’re reading includes letters, use the English alphabet A through L to identify the month, such as January is the letter A, February is the letter B, March is the letter C, and so on. Cloud. The numbers after the letter will represent the date of that month and the year of manufacture. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

For example, the code “D1519” means April 15, 2019.
Many products list both a manufacture date code and an expiration date code. If the code you’re reading doesn’t come with any words (like “use by” or “best by”), it’s a manufacturing date code and doesn’t speak to the quality of the product.

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Read the numeric code in the order “month, day, year”. If the code you’re reading consists of 6 digits, it’s most likely in the MMDDYY (month – day – year) format, where “MM” represents the month, “DD” represents the day, and “YY” represents year. This is one of the common codes you may see on food items. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

For example, “121518” means December 15, 2018.
Some brands use the year-month-day order. For the example of December 15, 2018, the production date code could be denoted as “181215”.

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Read the 3-digit numeric code indicating the day of the year in which the product was manufactured. This is the Julian (Roman) calendar code, commonly used on imported products. This code is very commonly found on eggs, but sometimes also on canned goods. Each day of the 365 days of the year is assigned a numeric value, such as “001” for January 1 and “365” for December 31. ^{[7] X Trusted Source Food Safety and Inspection Service of the USDA Go to the source}

For example, if a can of olive oil has the 3-character code 213, the item was manufactured on August 1.

Tip: For eggs, we recommend purchasing products that are within 30 days of manufacture to safely consume them. You can also test the freshness of your eggs by placing them in a bowl of cold water. If the egg sinks, it is still new. If the egg floats, you should not eat it.

Advice

Infant formula is the only product that is strictly controlled by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its shelf life. If the product has passed its expiry date, discard it immediately. ^{[8] X Trusted Source Food Safety and Inspection Service of the USDA Go to Source}

Warning

Although in theory, the product is still good before the expiry date, but in practice, you always have to use your senses to check. If the product has a bad smell or looks strange, it is better to throw it away instead of using it.

Steps

Read expiration date

Read production date code

Advice

Warning

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