What is the difference between sell-by and use-by dates?
As the authorities discover more spaza shops illegally selling food items that are not up to safety standards, SPAR helps us understand the differences between product dates.
Spaza shops selling products that have not met health and safety checks have caused communities to feel uneasy recently. Many people have been hospitalised or worse due to food poisoning.
Of course, the communities trusted these shops for their daily supplies and didn't know any better regarding the quality of foods they were purchasing.
It has sparked outrage, and many of these spaza shops have closed their doors due to safety concerns.
The topic motivated the SPAR Group to raise awareness among communities regarding the different types of safety labels. Despite what some might think, there are differences between a product's sell-by, use-by, and before dates.
"According to the Spar Group, the use-by date indicates when the product is at its peak quality–it serves as a safety measure.
A shopper consuming these items past the use-by date can lead to health risks due to potential spoilage." (IOL)
Whereas a sell-by date is more for the retailer than the consumer, the sell-by date refers to the product's shelf life. This date lets the retailer know how long the product can be sold to consumers.
The best-before date helps notify the consumer that the food quality will decline once the best-before date is reached. So, in other words, the food deteriorates past the best-before date but does not "pose a risk after consumption."
“Understanding that the sell-by date and best-before date helps consumers make informed choices, contribute to a sustainable food system, and reduce food waste, which the Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) estimates at 10 million tonnes annually in South Africa,” said the Spar Group." (IOL)
As we move through the fight for safer food products, people feel unsafe, especially since the deaths of more than twenty children in Gauteng as a result of suspected food poisoning.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi does not believe that the food poisoning stops at the spaza shops and is adamant that it goes deeper.
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Image Courtesy of iStock