Tips from professional Chef Tallyrand:

Food tips on "How fresh is fresh?"

Let us look first at the packaging. Different countries have different requirements as to how they should be stamped. On most packaged foods these days there are date stamps, these are either:

• Packed / Manufactured on

• Sell by

• Best before

• Use by date

They are all different and it depends on your country’s food law requirements what you will find on your foods. As a food professional I would love to see all of them on each food. But let us look at what they mean (this is a wee bit of a generalisation as again it depends on your country’s requirements):

• Packed / Manufactured on

- packed on is generally found on foods that have been wrapped or processed within the supermarket; such as cooked and raw meats. This simply lets you know when they took the whole product, broke it down and re-packed it. It does not of course necessarily mean the whole product has not been in the shop for a week before that! You will have to rely on the supermarket’s quality control, turn over and reputation for that, needless to say most are very reliable these days.

• Sell by

- this date is when the trader must sell the foods by. Many supermarkets sell foods in bargain bins that have gone past their sell by dates; can they do this, is it legal, is it safe? Well in some countries they can, in others it is illegal. As to whether the food is safe to consume; the answer is generally yes. But see below for my recommendations.

• Best before / Use by date

- these two are all but the same thing. They tell the customer when the food is at its peak and when it will start to deteriorate. This date should be later than the ‘Sell by’ date. How much later will depend on the product and packaging. Again many supermarkets sell foods in bargain bins that have gone past their Best before / Use by’ dates; can they do this, is it legal, is it safe? Well it some countries they can, in others it is illegal. As to whether the food is safe to consume; the answer is generally yes. But again, see below for my recommendations or consult your local health authorities:

Tallyrand’s recommendations

Milk & cream	-	use within 03 days of the ‘Best before / Use by’ dates
Sour cream	-	use within 07 days of the ‘Best before / Use by’ dates
Cottage cheese	-	use within 03 days of the ‘Best before / Use by’ dates
Soft cheeses	-	use within 03 days of the ‘Best before / Use by’ dates
Hard cheeses	-	use within 07 days of the ‘Best before / Use by’ dates
Bottled goods	-	use within 07 days of the ‘Best before / Use by’ dates
Tinned goods	-	use within 28 days of the ‘Best before / Use by’ dates
Dehydrated goods	-	use within 28 days of the ‘Best before / Use by’ dates
Raw meats	-	use within 03 days of the ‘Best before / Use by’ dates
Cooked meats	-	use within 03 days of the ‘Best before / Use by’ dates
Fresh fish / seafoods	-	use within 01 day of the ‘Best before / Use by’ dates
Frozen fish	-	use within 07 day of the ‘Best before / Use by’ dates
Frozen meats	-	use within 07 days of the ‘Best before / Use by’ dates
Frozen fruit/veg	-	use within 14 days of the ‘Best before / Use by’ dates

Frozen vegetables / fruit and dehydrated goods generally do not pose a health risk if eaten later but their quality will not be the best. Of course checking with your local health officer is always the best. Your senses are normally a pretty good judge also - touch it, smell it, taste it and follow this simple rule:

“If in doubt, throw it out”

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Published 07 January 2002