Food expiration dates influence what people buy, cook, freeze, and discard. In the United States, 92% of adults reported regularly using the expiration date when deciding whether to buy packaged food during 2017–March 2020 (USDA Economic Research Service, “Expiration date was most popular food label for adults, followed by Nutrition Facts”). In the UK’s 2024 Food and You 2 Wave 9, 67% correctly identified the use-by date as the label showing that food is no longer safe to eat (Food Standards Agency, “Food and You 2: Wave 9”).
Contents
- How consumers read and act on date labels
- Food waste associated with date labels and spoilage
- What behavior reveals about safety judgments
- Pantry and shelf-stable food timelines
- Refrigerated food timelines
- Freezer storage timelines
How consumers read and act on date labels
The available survey results show that date labels are used at several points in the food journey, from shopping to meal preparation. In the UK, 86% of Food and You 2 Wave 9 respondents said they always or most of the time checked use-by dates when buying food in 2024. The corresponding figure for best-before dates was 83%. Before cooking or preparing food, 62% said they always checked use-by dates. These are UK survey measures from 2024, not estimates of all consumers worldwide (Food Standards Agency, “Food and You 2: Wave 9”).
Kitchen Life 2 results from the 2023 report add detail about what happens after food enters the home. Among household participants, 78% said they always or most of the time ate food by or before its use-by date. Fifty-five percent said they always or most of the time froze food by or before that date. Thirty-five percent said they always or most of the time threw food away after its use-by date, while 7% said they always or most of the time kept and ate food past it. A larger 61% said they occasionally kept and ate food past its use-by date (Food Standards Agency, “The creation of food waste”).
| Date-label behavior | Share reported | Measurement period |
|---|---|---|
| Check use-by dates when buying food always or most of the time | 86% | UK, 2024 Wave 9 |
| Check best-before dates when buying food always or most of the time | 83% | UK, 2024 Wave 9 |
| Eat food by or before its use-by date always or most of the time | 78% | Kitchen Life 2, 2023 report |
| Freeze food by or before its use-by date always or most of the time | 55% | Kitchen Life 2, 2023 report |
| Throw food away after its use-by date always or most of the time | 35% | Kitchen Life 2, 2023 report |
Only 25 of 70 Kitchen Life 2 household participants correctly identified that only use-by dates show when food is no longer safe to eat. That small participant count matters: it is a reported survey result, not a population estimate. The finding nevertheless illustrates why a shopper may treat a quality-oriented best-before date and a safety-oriented use-by date as interchangeable when they are not (Food Standards Agency, “The creation of food waste”).
Food waste associated with date labels and spoilage
The FDA estimated in a 2024 publication that confusion over date labeling accounts for 20% of U.S. consumer food waste (FDA, “How to Cut Food Waste and Maintain Food Safety”). This is an FDA estimate, so it should not be read as a directly measured share for every household or every kind of discarded food.
The broader scale of waste is reported differently across sources and years. USDA currently cites an estimate that 30% of the U.S. food supply is lost or wasted at the retail and consumer levels (USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, “Food Product Dating”). A USDA analysis for 2010 estimated that 31% of the 430 billion pounds of food available at U.S. retail and consumer levels went uneaten. That analysis put the loss at 133 billion pounds, with an estimated retail value of $161.6 billion and 141 trillion calories. It also estimated 1,249 lost calories per capita per day (USDA Economic Research Service, “The Estimated Amount, Value, and Calories of Postharvest Food Losses at the Retail and Consumer Levels in the United States”).
These figures describe different scopes and periods. The 2010 USDA analysis is a historical estimate; the USDA’s 30% figure is cited on a current food-product-dating page; and the FDA’s 20% figure concerns consumer waste attributed specifically to date-label confusion. They should not be added together.
EPA’s 2019 Wasted Food Report estimated 66.2 million tons of wasted food from U.S. food retail, food service, and residential sectors. Households accounted for 40% of that generation, and 59.8% of the wasted food from those sectors was landfilled (EPA, “2019 Wasted Food Report”). The EPA scope includes retail and food service as well as residences, so it is not a date-label-only measure.
What behavior reveals about safety judgments
People do not rely on one signal for every food. In the UK’s 2024 Wave 9 eating-at-home results, 76% of respondents used smell to assess whether raw meat was safe to eat or cook. Smell was also used by 72% when assessing milk and yogurt. For fish, 74% relied on the use-by date. For dried or cured meats, 62% relied on the use-by date (Food Standards Agency, “F&Y2 Wave 9, Chapter 6: Eating at home”).
Other foods produced different patterns. Fifty-eight percent used the best-before date to assess whether eggs were safe to eat or cook, while 65% used appearance to assess cheese. These responses describe reported decision signals, not proof that smell, appearance, or a label can independently establish safety in every situation. The source’s measures are UK Wave 9 results from 2024.
The distinction between quality and safety is especially important for pantry planning. A best-before date can be part of a quality judgment, while the use-by date is the safety marker identified in the Food and You 2 results. The survey data show that many people check both labels, but the 25-of-70 Kitchen Life 2 result shows that correct interpretation was not universal among those participants.
Pantry and shelf-stable food timelines
USDA’s current shelf-stable guidance gives different best-quality periods for different pantry foods. Unopened high-acid canned foods have a best-quality storage period of 12 to 18 months. Unopened low-acid canned goods have a best-quality period of 2 to 5 years. Unopened shelf-stable canned ham is also listed at 2 to 5 years (USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, “Shelf-Stable Food Safety”).
Once a shelf-stable product is opened, the timeline changes. USDA lists 3 to 4 days of refrigerated storage after opening shelf-stable canned ham. Home-canned foods are listed at 12 months before use and 3 to 4 days of refrigerated storage after opening. Commercially packaged jerky is listed at 12 months on the shelf, compared with 1 to 2 months for home-dried jerky.
Temperature also changes the stated MRE storage timeline. USDA lists 1 month at 120°F and 1.5 years at 100°F. Those figures are storage guidance for the stated temperatures, not a general expiration-date rule for every emergency ration or pantry product.
Refrigerated food timelines
FoodSafety.gov’s current Cold Food Storage Chart gives storage periods for food held in a refrigerator at 40°F or below where that condition is specified. Refrigerated egg, chicken, ham, tuna, and macaroni salads are listed at 3 to 4 days. Opened-package hot dogs are listed at 1 week, while unopened hot dogs are listed at 2 weeks. Opened or deli-sliced luncheon meat is listed at 3 to 5 days, and bacon at 1 week (FoodSafety.gov, “Cold Food Storage Chart”).
Raw meats have shorter refrigerator windows in the same chart. Raw sausage made from chicken, turkey, pork, or beef is listed at 1 to 2 days. Hamburger, ground meat, and ground poultry are also listed at 1 to 2 days. Fresh beef, veal, lamb, and pork steaks are listed at 3 to 5 days. Refrigerated shrimp is listed at 3 to 5 days.
| Refrigerated food | Listed refrigerator period |
|---|---|
| Raw sausage | 1–2 days |
| Hamburger, ground meat, and ground poultry | 1–2 days |
| Egg, chicken, ham, tuna, and macaroni salads | 3–4 days |
| Fresh beef, veal, lamb, and pork steaks | 3–5 days |
| Refrigerated shrimp | 3–5 days |
| Opened-package hot dogs | 1 week |
| Unopened hot dogs | 2 weeks |
The chart also lists unopened canned ham labeled “Keep Refrigerated” at 6 to 9 months. That is a distinct product and label condition from shelf-stable canned ham, for which USDA lists 2 to 5 years unopened for best quality. Comparing those entries shows why storage instructions and the exact product label matter as much as the calendar date.
Freezer storage timelines
Freezing extends the listed storage window for many foods, although the FoodSafety.gov figures are generally framed as periods for best quality. Hot dogs are listed at 1 to 2 months in the freezer. Ground meat and ground poultry are listed at 3 to 4 months. Fresh beef, veal, lamb, and pork steaks are listed at 4 to 12 months (FoodSafety.gov, “Cold Food Storage Chart”).
For poultry and ham, the chart lists 6 months for fresh, uncured, uncooked ham, 1 year for a whole chicken or turkey, and 9 months for chicken or turkey pieces. Fish timelines vary by type: fatty fish are listed at 2 to 3 months, while lean fish such as cod, flounder, haddock, halibut, or sole are listed at 6 to 8 months. Shrimp is listed at 6 to 18 months.
FoodSafety.gov separately lists 2 to 6 months for best-quality frozen Thanksgiving leftovers (FoodSafety.gov, “Thanksgiving Leftovers for Safe Keeping, Weekend Grazing”). The range is a quality timeline, not evidence that every frozen item becomes unsafe immediately afterward. For household record-keeping, the most useful comparison is to pair the date on the package with the storage condition, whether the food is opened, and the relevant official chart entry.