What is meant by food expiry date?

Processed food is easy to use because it can be let for long periods of time. However, note that even processed food will deteriorate with time. Therefore, it is very important to check the date of packaging when buying processed food.

The shelf life of a food must be indicated by the words ‘best before’ in conjunction with the expiry date and conditions for optimum storage of the food.

Commonly used for highly perishable foods such as meats and dairy goods, the expiry date is the last date on which the product should be consumed.

To address the quality of food products at expiration date, a study was carried out to measure the quality by using microbiological and sensory test. The study showed that most of the tested products were edible at expiration date of durability, although some of them contained high concentration of spoilage and natural microorganisms.

Most food is wasted between the retailing and consumption phases because of a bad match between supply and demand. The intervening factor is food waste as a result of expiry dates.
What is meant by food expiry date?