The Truth About Best Before and Use By Dates: How to Save Money and Reduce Food Waste in 2025
In the UK, millions of people throw away perfectly good food because of a simple misunderstanding—best before dates. At Evans for Everyone, one of the UK’s biggest short-date discount stores, we’re here to bust the myths, save you money, and help reduce food waste.
What Are Best Before Dates?
A Best Before date simply refers to when the food is at its peak quality. After this date, the texture, colour, or taste may change slightly, but it is still perfectly safe to consume in most cases.
Modern Food packaging standards ensure that as long as the integrity of the packaging is maintained, the food or drink within retains a high degree of quality.
Sadly, Best Before dates are often confused with Use By dates and this results in a large amount of perfectly good food and drink being discarded.
Eating or Drinking products past their Best Before Date is completely safe. It is LEGAL to sell products that are past their Best Before Date and as the prices are usually reduced, It's a great way to save money.
Discount retailers like Evans for Everyone often discount products up to 70% of the Recommended Retail Price.
What Are Use By Dates?
Separately, Use By Dates serve a completely different purpose.
A Use By date indicates when a perishable product (like meat or dairy) is no longer safe to eat, Eating products that are past their Use By date carries a risk of food poisoning.
It is illegal and dangerous to sell food or drink products if they have passed the Use By or expiry date.
A Brief History of Best Before Dates
Before the 1950s, food labelling was minimal and food was not packaged well. Consumers relied on common sense to determine whether food was still good.
Supermarkets introduced 'Sell-by' dates to help manage stock rotation in storerooms. Food Guidance Dates on products weren't publicly seen until the 1970s.
Marks and Spencer first publicly displayed Best Before Dates on Products. The implication was that their products were fresher than the competition. Other retailers followed suit shortly after.
In the 1980s, the UK introduced legislation aligning with the 1979 EC Labelling Directive through the Food Labelling Regulations. This required a ‘date of minimum durability’ - commonly known as the ‘best before’ date.
Initially, food could still be sold after this date, as it was intended as guidance for consumers rather than a strict regulation.
However, it later became illegal to sell products beyond their ‘use-by’ date, as this label indicates a genuine food safety risk.
Best Before and Use By dates had become standard fixtures on our food packaging.
The goal was to guide consumers on food freshness, but over time, these dates have led to unnecessary food waste.
Today, some retailers in the United Kingdom are scrapping Best Before dates altogether, encouraging consumers to use their judgment instead. This shift is essential in tackling the UK’s massive food waste problem.
How Food Waste Impacts the UK
Did you know that the UK wastes 9.52 million tonnes of food every year? That’s enough to feed over 30 million people! Yet, around 8.5 million people in the UK live in food poverty.
What’s even more surprising is that households are responsible for 70% of this waste—far more than supermarkets and food retailers.
On average, a UK household throws away £470 worth of food annually. This waste doesn’t just hurt your wallet—it’s also damaging to the environment and increases food costs.
Food waste contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, making it a critical issue we all need to address.
Sadly, the UK leads Europe in Wasted Food.
How Evans for Everyone Helps Reduce Waste and Save You Money
At Evans for Everyone, we specialise in selling short-date and surplus stock at amazing prices. By purchasing items close to or past their Best Before date, you get incredible discounts on perfectly good food, household essentials, and pet products.
To best inform our customers, All Best Before Dates are clearly displayed on the Product Title and also in our Coventry store on the price label.
Tips to Reduce Food Waste and Shop Smart
Some products that remain good well beyond their Best Before date include:
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Dried pasta and rice – Can last years if stored properly.
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Canned and Jarred goods – Safe for long periods if the can is undamaged.
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Chocolate and biscuits – May lose a little crunch but are still tasty!
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Cereals – Stay fresh if kept sealed.
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Spices and seasonings – Their flavour may weaken over time, but they are still safe to use.
Want to make your food last longer and save money? Here’s how:
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Understand the difference between Best Before and Use-by dates – Don’t throw away food just because it’s past the Best Before date. Check for signs of spoilage instead.
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Store food properly – Keep dry goods in airtight containers, refrigerate perishables correctly, and freeze items you won’t use immediately.
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Shop at discount stores like Evans for Everyone – Get massive savings on food that’s still perfectly good!
Final Thoughts
Next time you see a Best Before date, think twice before binning that food. By shopping smart and understanding food labels, you can save money and help fight food waste at the same time.
Visit Evans for Everyone in Coventry or shop online for amazing deals on short-dated food and household essentials. Let’s make a difference together!
