please explain sell by and use by dates?

Question

i have a chicken with use by date 24th Dec, can i cook it that day and eat it 25th, warmed up in the microwave

Answer 1

Once cooked you're alright for about two and a half days.

Answer 2

A Sell By date is when the product has to be sold from the shop by. If that date comes and goes and a customer has not bought it, they can not sell it. A use by date is when you need to have used it by. If your chicken has been in the freezer, you don't need to worry about cooking it before the use by date as meat can be frozen for yup to six months after the use by date. If your chicken has not been in the freezer and has the use by date of 24th, I am sure it wont matter that you cook it one day later. It is not good to re-heat chicken a day after you cooked it.

Answer 3

sell by date is the day that the shop has to sell it by, usually they will reduce the price the day before so they can get rid of it for at least part of their money. Use by date is the date you are supposed to cook it by but they put these dates on to cover themselves so they are not precise it will probably be ok to cook for a few days after the use by date as long as you keep it in the fridge or by freezing it. Once you cook it it will be ok for days because the process starts again. It really isn't necessary to be too precise about the dates they are just a guideline - Hope you enjoy your chicken - Merry Christmas

Answer 4

Sell by date is for the store's benefit, to ensure that what they sell is fit for use. It is calculated on the basis of proper storage. The use by is rather more conservative as it allows for less than optimal conditions.
So; cook it thoroughly on or before the use by date, store it in the fridge, and reheat it fully ( steaming hot all through ) before eating. If you want a leg only carve it first and reheat the portion. Only reheat once, The first cook is the most important. Or eat cold, the important thing is NOT to keep it just warm!

Answer 5

What's the meaning of "Use By" and "Freeze By" statements that appear on some product packaging?


The "Use or Freeze By" date indicates the month, day and year by which the item should be used or frozen. This date assures you that a product is at peak freshness when purchased and will stay fresh when stored unopened under proper home storage conditions. When shopping, be sure to look for "Use or Freeze By" dates. At home, check the date again periodically and try to use the product before or shortly after this date expires. Same as Sell by dates its the day in the store that it needs to be sold by. Most meat can last a year frozen. We usually let meat sit in room temp to find the expiration day. Once it gets mold the week before is the Sell by date. Most meat that is sealed properly last upto 50 days unfrozen.

Answer 6

Sellby means the shop has to have sold it by then and use by means that you cant eat it after that date with the sell by it should be ok for a day or two after that unless it has been frozen then between 1 and 2 months

Answer 7

Yes.

Sell by dates: in general and on average, by the time you get a certain food home, store it, then use it...it should reach the calculated average of going bad at that point. The sell by date is not a means of not being able to eat or prepare that item. It's more a guideline for stores to use especially for stock rotation.

Use by dates: pretty much not guarenteed to be good after that. Plain and simple. While the food distributor covers itself by having the sell by/use by dates, typically a food is presumed safe to eat past it's sell by date, but on average isn't safe to be consumed past it's use by date, unless it is prepared prior, in such a fashion to last in storage longer by the buyer.

Answer 8

yes. And don't worry about the dates too much, they put a date well in advance of the correct 'off' date to cover themselves.

Your chicken will be fine as you have cooked it. Make sure you store it in a fridge though and don't leave it lying out.

Answer 9

Sell by date is the date shops must remove it from their shelves, use by is the date you should have cooked or eaten it by, depending on what it is. Yes you should be OK with that chicken.

Answer 10

The sell by date is the date which the grocers have to sell it by and the use by date is the date in which they reccommend you to use it by to get the best out of the product.

You should be ok to cook it and store in the fridge/freezer though!!

Merry Xmas

Answer 11

OK, the sell by date is the date that the product must be sold from the store or destroyed. The use by date is the date by which if the product is not frozen it must be used.