AU: Which date do you need? ‘Use by’ or ‘Best before’?

Food Processing: Unsure whether your company’s food or beverage products need a ‘best before’ or a use-by date code? This quick Q&A will help.

Q. Why do we need date codes?

A. Food and beverages need date codes for health and safety, so consumers know how long they can keep an item before it begins to deteriorate or could be unsafe to consume; therefore, they must be indelible and visible. (A secondary benefit is for retailers, who use date marks on secondary packaging to ensure better stock turnaround and reduce food wastage.)