Whether or not a distinction is made between ‘best before‘ and ‘use by‘: For perishable goods such as minced meat, the expiry date matters. If it is exceeded, the product must not be consumed because of the risk of salmonella or coli bacteria. Foods that are indefinitely edible, such as vinegar, salt or sugar, or that grow mould or rot in a very short time, which is clearly visible to everyone, such as fruit and vegetables, do not have to carry a ‘best before’ label.
While most countries use the BBD system, the UK, Japan and Norway use ‘double best-before dates’. The corresponding food items in these countries are labelled with a sell-by date, which indicates for how long they can be sold in stores, as well as an expiry date, which indicates the actual time at which food is considered to be fit for human consumption. The purpose is to clear up misunderstandings.