The best before date must be identified using the words best before and meilleure avant together with the date. These can appear anywhere on a package -- and if on the bottom, that placement should be indicated elsewhere on the label.

How expiry dates are written?

Read these codes as MMDDYY, where “MM” refers to the month, “DD” refers to the date, and “YY” refers to the year. This is one of the more common codes that youll see on food items. For example, “121518” would be read as December 15, 2018.

What does BB MA 2020 mean?

Best Before Most people get confused by the BB/MA, but this just means Best Before and then the French translation of Meilleur Avant. You can easily understand the date if you start with the year.

What does MA mean in best before dates?

MA for mai or May. MR for mars or March.

Is best before same as expiry date?

An expiry date is not the same as a best before date. These dates are required on certain foods that have specific nutritional compositions that could falter after the determined expiration date. If a food has passed its expiration date it should be discarded and not used.

What does Al stand for on food?

best before date It is important to know that a best before date is only meant to indicate how long a food will retain its normal wholesomeness, flavour, and nutritional value when stored under normal conditions. Health Canada recommends that you not consume unopened food products that have passed their best before date.

What month does AL stand for?

Consider the month April/avril. But both April and avril have L in common, so they can (and do) abbreviate as AL.

Does best by date mean expired?

The key takeaway is that a “best-by” or “sell-by” date is not an expiration date and doesnt necessarily mean that the safety of the food product declines after that date. All the date labels come from the manufacturer and are aimed at different audiences.

What is a date code?

A date code is the year of manufacture followed by the week. It is an 8 digit code. Comprised of a 4 digit number followed by a 2 digit number, then another 2 digit number (which is sometimes alpha-numeric). This is an example of a valid date code - 2017-22-59.

What is code date on food?

This number is a three-digit code that represents the consecutive day of the year starting with January 1 as 001 and ending with December 31 as 365. When a sell-by date appears on a carton bearing the USDA grade shield, the code date may not exceed 30 days from the date of pack.

When did best before dates become mandatory?

It was introduced in Marks & Spencers storerooms in the 1950s before making its way on to the shelves in 1970. It wasnt even actually called a sell-by-date until 1973.

Is sell by date same as expiration?

So, what is the Sell By Date of a food item? The “Sell By Date” on a product is the items expiration date, the end of its shelf life at the store. This is the last date stores are supposed to display the product for sale, after the Sell By Date the stores should remove the product, the store Shelf Life has expired.

How do I find a date code?

Remember that the last four digits of the code are the date the tire was manufactured. You can check the first two digits of the DOT code to know the week of the manufacturing. The last two digits will reveal the manufacturing year.

How do you read a date code on food?

Look on the bottom or sides of the meal and find a string of five numbers in a row. The first two numbers stand for the year, while the last three numbers represent the day of the year. For example, if the code was 11322, you would know that the food was manufactured on the 322 day of 2011, or November 22nd, 2011.

Are best before dates accurate?

What to do: Best-before dates and expiration dates are not the same. You can buy and eat foods after the best-before date has passed. However, foods that are likely to spoil should be stored properly and they should be eaten as quickly as possible. Do not buy or eat foods if their expiration date has passed.