Food Waste and the Difference Between Use By and Best Before Dates

Knowing the difference between use by and best before dates matters, because food still makes up a large part of the waste we produce. According to Eurostat, around 58 million tonnes of food were wasted in the European Union in 2024. This is about 129 kg per person. The figures include inedible parts, such as peel and bones.

Food is wasted at every stage: on farms, in factories, in shops and in restaurants. However, the largest share comes from us: more than half of all food waste in the EU (around 53%) is generated by households, which is about 69 kg per person each year.

For charts on food waste in the EU, including food waste per person by sector and by country, see the European Parliament overview Food waste in Europe: facts, EU policies and 2030 targets.

Much of the food we throw away is still fit to eat. Food waste is not only an environmental problem. It is also an economic, social and ethical one.

Producing food that is thrown away instead of eaten wastes natural resources such as water, soil and energy, pollutes the environment and makes the climate crisis worse. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), food loss and waste generates 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions every year.

Throwing food away also costs households a lot of money. The money spent on food that ends up in the bin could have been put to much better use.

Although the world produces enough food, around 645 million people faced hunger in 2025, according to the latest UN report on world food security. In some parts of the world, people have more food than they need and throw away food that could still be eaten safely. Elsewhere, people cannot afford good-quality food or have no access to it.

What is food waste?

Food waste usually means throwing away food that is still fit to eat, or using food inefficiently anywhere in the food chain, from production, storage and distribution to the moment it is eaten. It may be food that is not eaten in time, food that is bought in larger amounts than needed, or food that is stored incorrectly and spoils. This food often ends up in landfill. That harms the environment and the economy, and it also wastes the water, soil and energy used to produce it.

Causes of food waste

• confusion about the difference between use-by and best-before dates
• unplanned purchases
• storing food incorrectly
• throwing food away only because we do not like how it looks or smells, without checking whether it is still fit to eat
• pack sizes that do not suit the household, for example packs that are too large for one or two people
• cooking portions that are too large
• not using leftovers to make new meals

According to a Flash Eurobarometer survey from 2015, more than half of people in the EU could not correctly tell the difference between best-before and use-by dates or explain what these labels mean. A European Commission study from 2018 estimates that up to 10% of the food waste generated in the EU each year is linked to date marking.

The difference between use by and best before dates

In short, a use-by date is about safety and a best-before date is about quality. In the EU, both labels are defined in Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers.

Best-before date

• The date until which the food keeps its quality and its specific properties when it is stored correctly.
• On the packaging, it appears as “best before” followed by the date, or as “best before end” when the date shows only the month and year or only the year. Depending on how long the food keeps, the date may show the day and month, the month and year, or only the year.
• After this date, the food is usually still safe to eat if it has been stored as instructed, but it may have lost some of its quality. Look at it, smell it and taste a small amount before you decide.
• The manufacturer guarantees the texture and flavour of the food until this date.
• Once the pack is open, follow the instructions on the packaging.

Use-by date

• The date until which the food can be eaten safely.
• Do not eat the food after this date. Use-by dates appear on foods that spoil quickly, such as meat, fish, salads and milk.
• Eating food after its use-by date can be a health risk.
• On the packaging, it appears as “use by” followed by the day, the month and sometimes the year, together with storage instructions.
• Once the pack is open, follow the instructions on the packaging.
• If you cannot eat the food in time, you can freeze it, but only before the use-by date. Bacteria cannot grow in frozen food, but freezing does not kill them. Once the food has thawed, eat it within 24 hours.

If you would like to learn more, the European Commission has short animated videos that explain date marking. They are subtitled in all EU languages and are available on its page Date marking and food waste prevention.

Sources: Eurostat – Food waste and food waste prevention – estimates, European Parliament – Food waste in Europe, UNEP – Food Waste Index Report 2024, FAO – The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026, European Commission – Date marking and food waste prevention, Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, GOV.UK – Best before and use-by dates, Euronews – Do you understand date labels on food?