Read sell-by, best if used by, use-by, and date of packing as four different words before you clear food
The four distinct date words are sell-by, best if used by, use-by, and date of packing.
Key takeaways for read four food date words before clearing shelf stock
- Before you pull dated food from the shelf, distinguish the four words printed on packages: sell-by, best if used by, use-by, and date of packing.
- According to Oregon State University Extension Service, if perishable foods have been refrigerated at the proper temperature (40 degrees F or below), they will still be safe to eat after the date listed. This rule applies to perishable foods held at that temperature, not to every grocery item on the shelf.
- The use-by date carries a specific federal requirement for infant formula.
- According to Oregon State University Extension Service, the manufacturer sets these “expiration dates,” and infant formula has a use-by date to guarantee maximum nutritional value and quality. This is a rule for infant formula, not a general standard for all packaged goods.
These terms are not interchangeable safety cutoffs for every item on your shelf. You must keep each date word inside the specific food and the publisher that defines it. Do not turn an infant-formula rule or a poultry packing rule into a rule for every item in the stockroom.
When you pull dated food off the shelf, check which of the four words is printed on the package. A sell-by date is not, by itself, a safety cutoff for every food. A use-by date has specific rules for infant formula. A date of packing and a lot number are rules for poultry. The federal date rules do not cover every grocery item in your shop.
Read the exact words on the package before you decide to clear the stock. If the package shows a sell-by date, do not assume the food is unsafe that day. If the package shows a use-by date, check if it is infant formula. If the package shows a date of packing, check if it is poultry.
Pick one dated food package and write which of the four words is on it: sell-by, best if used by, use-by, or date of packing. Write none if the package shows none of them. This step ensures you are using the correct rule for the specific food item.
What each date word is allowed to mean
The meaning of a date depends on the exact term used and the type of product, so do not treat them as interchangeable safety cutoffs.
Sell-by and best if used by According to Oregon State University Extension Service, foods with “sell-by” and “best if used by” dates can usually be stored for a short time at home after those dates. This definition applies to the specific products mentioned by that publisher. It does not establish a universal safety rule for every item in the stockroom. If you see these words on a package, check the remaining shelf life based on the guidance provided by the source that defined them for that specific food category.
Use-by for infant formula The term “Use By” has a specific regulatory definition for infant formula. According to U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the “Use By” Date is the date up to which the manufacturer guarantees the nutrient content and the quality of the formula. This guarantee is specific to infant formula. Do not apply this infant formula rule to other grocery items like ham or deli meats.
Regulatory basis for the use-by date The requirement for this date is detailed in federal regulations. According to Cornell Law School, a “Use by ______” date is filled in with the month and year selected by the manufacturer, packer, or distributor of the infant formula. This rule defines the scope of the guarantee for infant formula only. It does not create a use-by requirement for other food categories in the shop.
Which foods the federal date rules actually cover
Federal date labeling requirements are narrow. They do not cover every item in the stockroom. More than 20 states have their own food dating regulations, according to Oregon State University Extension Service. The federal government only requires labeling on infant formula and some baby food, according to Oregon State University Extension Service. This means that for most grocery items on your shelves, the date words you see are not mandated by federal law for that specific product.
Poultry is a separate category with its own specific marking rules. Under 9 CFR § 381.126, either the immediate container or the shipping container of all poultry food products shall be plainly and permanently marked by code or otherwise with the date of packing, according to Cornell Law School. This rule applies to the container holding the poultry, not to every other food item in the shop.
If calendar dating is used for poultry, it must be accompanied by an explanatory statement, as provided in § 381.129(c)(2), according to Cornell Law School.
For dressed poultry, the immediate container shall be marked with a lot number which shall be the number of the day of the year on which the poultry was slaughtered or a coded number, according to Cornell Law School. This lot number rule is distinct from the general packing date requirement and applies specifically to dressed poultry containers.
These rules show that federal dating requirements are product-specific. The infant formula and baby food labeling requirement does not extend to other foods. The poultry packing date and lot number rules do not apply to non-poultry items.
Do not assume that a federal date rule applies to every box in the stockroom. The scope of federal requirements is limited to the specific products named in the regulations.
Check the specific product type before applying federal dating rules. If it is anything else, the date words on the package are not covered by these specific federal labeling requirements.
Filled reference table of date-word rules by publisher
| Publisher | Date Word or Field | Stated Meaning or Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon State University Extension Service | Sell-by date | Deli meats should be cooked until steaming if held after the sell-by date as a food safety precaution, according to Oregon State University Extension Service. |
| U.S. Food and Drug Administration | Use-by date | After this date, a package or container of infant formula should not be fed to infants, according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration. |
| Zoho | Expiry Date | The date until which the item is consumable, according to Zoho. |
| Zoho | Manufactured Date | The date on which the item was manufactured, according to Zoho. |
What a software expiry field does not decide
Shop software fields track inventory data, but they do not replace the printed words on a food package. In the "Create Items | User Guide | Zoho Inventory" documentation, a field named Expiry Date is defined as "The date until which the item is consumable" according to Zoho. This is a software entry field, not a federal food dating term like sell-by, best if used by, use-by, or date of packing. The same guide defines a field named Manufactured Date as "The date on which the item was manufactured" according to Zoho. Neither of these software fields is one of the four date words you read on the package before clearing shelf stock.
A software expiry field tells your inventory system when an item is marked consumable in your records. It does not tell you whether a specific food item is safe to sell or discard under federal or state food safety rules. The four package date words—sell-by, best if used by, use-by, and date of packing—carry specific meanings tied to food type and regulation. For example, a use-by date on infant formula is a federal safety rule, while a sell-by date on deli meat is not a safety cutoff for every food. A software field cannot distinguish between these contexts. It simply stores a date value you entered.
The Zoho Inventory guide also notes that you can enter decimal quantity up to 6 decimal places for batches according to Zoho. This precision applies to batch quantities in shop software, not to the date printed on a package. Do not confuse a batch quantity field with a date field. The 6 decimal places refer to how finely you can record quantity in the software, not how precisely a package date is printed or interpreted. See Count shop stock: 4 apps compared for small retailers and Reorder settings: 9 fields for retail inventory.
Illustrative example of 4 dated packages
Picture 4 packages on one shelf. The first shows sell-by, the second shows best if used by, the third shows use-by on infant formula, and the fourth shows date of packing on poultry. You write the word you see on each package and you leave the other 3 words off that line. You do not move the infant formula use-by rule onto the poultry package, and you do not move the poultry packing mark onto the other 3 packages. You keep each of the 4 lines on its own package. You do not clear the whole shelf because 1 package shows use-by. You also leave a package with none of the 4 words marked as none. You apply the perishable hold note only if that package was kept at 40 degrees F or below.
One package you can read today
If the package shows none of these words, write "none." Do not guess which word applies based on the food type; look only at the label.
The label is the only source for the date word. A software record might hold an expiry date or a manufactured date, but those are fields in your system, not the federal date words printed on the package. You must read the physical label to know which word is present.
Then open Check 4 refund fields before stock goes back on shelf before food goes back on the shelf.
Food date FAQ
Which four date words should I read before I clear food?
Read sell-by, best if used by, use-by, and date of packing.
Does sell-by mean the food is unsafe that day?
No, a sell-by date does not automatically mean the food is unsafe that day.
Which foods does federal law require a date on?
Federal law requires date labeling on infant formula and some baby food. Other foods may have dates, but they are not federally mandated for all grocery items. Check the specific product type before assuming a federal rule applies.
Is a use-by date on infant formula the same as a use-by date on ham?
No, the federal use-by rule is specific to infant formula.
Does a software expiry field replace the words on the package?
No, a software expiry field does not replace the words on the package.