BEST BEFORE DATE

noun phrase (Lifestyle and Leisure) A date marked on a food package (usually preceded by the words 'best before') to show the latest time by which the contents can be used without risk of deterioration. Etymology: Formed by combining the statutory words best before with date: the date before which the food is in best condition. History and Usage: The use of best before dates was codified in the UK in 1980, when new food labelling regulations stipulated that perishable foods should carry some indication of their durability including the words best before and a date; very perishable foods must carry a sell-by date or some other indication of the shelf-life of the product within the store. After outbreaks of salmonella poisoning and listeriosis at the end of the eighties, it was felt that for high-risk perishables best before was a rather ambiguous label, suggesting that the goods would be best consumed before the date given but could safely be eaten for some time afterwards (whereas in some cases this would actually have been quite dangerous). This led to the wider use of an unambiguous use-by date on foods most likely to cause illness if stored too long. The best before date has now become so commonplace that it has acquired a figurative use among City personnel: one's best before date is the age beyond which one will be considered past one's best by prospective employers. Date marking is now required on most pre-packed foods (with a few exceptions, such as frozen foods, wine and vinegar) unless they have a shelf-life of at least 18 months...This is expressed as either a best before date (day, month, year) [etc.] Maurice Hanssen The New E for Additives (1987), p. 17 Their colleagues in Eurobond dealing and corporate finance have 'sell by' and 'best before' dates (in most jobs, at age 35) as career markers. Observer 29 Mar. 1987, p. 51