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K-State Research and Extension
123 Umberger Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506-3401
785-532-5820
extadmin@ksu.edu

April 28, 2020

Food Product Dating

Submitted by Lisa Martin

Welcome to Food and Health Focus—information shared by the Nutrition, Food Safety and Health Team for you and your clients.

Today’s topic covers Food Product Dating.

Now that we are several weeks in with Safe-at-Home measures, you may be wondering if some of the food you have in your cupboard, refrigerator or freezer is still safe to eat. Food product packages list dates that are more often related to food quality and freshness rather than food safety.

“Sell By, Best if Used By, and Use By” dates can be confusing, and if they are used for food safety purposes, you and your Extension clients may be throwing away food that is still safe to eat.

Below is a handout that explains food products dates as well as some practical tips on handling perishable foods. The link provided is from the KSRE Bookstore and we also have the fact sheet in Teams on the Nutrition, Food Safety and Health Teams channel under Files—Food Safety.

https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/MF3204.pdf

In the future, we will be sharing more information on nutrition, food safety, and health as it relates to Safe-at-Home measures.