For items marked "best before," what is the most practical consumer measure after the date passes?
Answer
Assessing by look/smell (sniff test).
The distinction between safety deadlines ("Use By") and quality guidelines ("Best Before") directly impacts how consumers should react to expired food. For products bearing the "Best Before" label—such as canned goods, pasta, or cereal—which are generally shelf-stable, the risk of immediate pathogen contamination is low, making sensory evaluation a practical tool. If the packaging is intact, assessing the product's condition through looking at it and smelling it is considered the most reliable and practical measure to determine if the product's quality (flavor/texture) has degraded sufficiently to warrant disposal.
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