An expiration date appears on most food. But there are two types to distinguish :
1. The durability date (DD) indicated next to the phrase “Best before”. It appears on canned (compote, sauce) or dry (flour, sugar, legumes, pasta, rice) goods, as well as on frozen goods: in other words, all the products made stable in time through various conservation processes. It is usually on the lid, sides or under the packaging.
2. The best-by date (BBD) indicates the date from which a product becomes unfit for consumption. It only concerns fresh perishable products. Meat, fish, yogurt, dairy products, ready-made meals, deli tubs, packaged salads – all products filled with water and sensitive which are potentially dangerous for our health when they decompose because of the development of undesirable bacteria.
For dry products (rice, pasta, lentils…) as well as canned goods which DD or BBD have gone by, there is no real danger, but they can have lost all or part of their quality (taste, texture, nutrition…).
For cans, they can be stocked up to a year after their expiration date as long as they are in a dry environment and not damaged. If the can has swollen or an odd smell comes out when you open or the product simply looks unusual, do not eat it! For frozen goods, the product also remains edible as long as it was kept well with no break in the cold chain.
Keeping an eye on expiration dates is a good way to avoid food waste: each European people throws away 173kg* of food per year!