Most People Read “Best By” Dates Wrong — Here’s When That Can in Your Pantry Actually Needs to Go

You open the pantry and discover a can marked “BEST BEFORE SEP 14 2020.” Your first instinct might be to throw it straight into the trash.

But a “Best By,” “Best Before,” or “Best if Used By” date usually isn’t an automatic food-safety expiration date in the United States. USDA explains that “Best if Used By/Before” generally indicates when the manufacturer expects the food to have its best flavor or quality—not the date on which it suddenly becomes unsafe.

That distinction can prevent unnecessary food waste. But it also doesn’t mean every ancient can in the cupboard should be eaten.

What “Best By” Actually Means

Think of the date primarily as a quality marker.

Before that date, the manufacturer expects the product to retain its intended flavor, texture, color and overall quality. Afterward, those qualities can gradually deteriorate.

In the U.S., except for infant formula, federal law generally does not require packaged foods to carry these quality-based dates.

So seeing yesterday’s date on a shelf-stable can does not mean the food transformed from safe to dangerous at midnight.

How Long Do Commercially Canned Foods Last?

Storage conditions and the type of food matter.

USDA says commercially canned high-acid foods, including many fruits and tomatoes, generally maintain their best quality for about 18 months. Low-acid canned foods such as vegetables, meat and poultry can maintain their best quality for roughly 2–5 years when properly stored.

Those are quality guidelines—not a promise that every intact can is automatically safe for a particular number of years.