An expiration date is the date when a food product spoils and may no longer be eaten safely or when a contract or other condition becomes no longer valid. Expiration date is a North American term. The expiration date is usually labeled as the best by date, the sell by date or the use before date. In the United States, the only food that is federally mandated to carry an expiration date is infant formula. Different states carry different laws concerning expiration dates for milk, eggs, etc, but for the most part, the use of expiration dates in the United States is voluntary.
An expiry date is the date when a food product spoils and may no longer be eaten safely or when a contract or other condition becomes no longer valid. Expiry date is a British term. In Europe, expiry dates are mandatory. Marks & Spencer’s used expiry dates in its storerooms in the 1950s, food products packaged for the home cook acquired expiry dates in the 1970s.
Examples
Speaking on the matter to Ghana Business News in the presence of two FDA officials, Deputy Chief Executive of the FDA – Food Inspectorate Division, Mrs Isabella Mansa Agra, explained that although food products are not absolutely inedible and unsafe for consumption after the expiry date, (or absolutely safe prior to the expiry date), the determination of the expiry date of any food product, is the sole preserve of the manufacturer. (Ghana Business News)
Over 7,000 cases are pending in the Forensic Sciences Laboratory (FSL) at Rohini, and 1,479 of those samples may no longer yield accurate results as they have crossed their one-year expiry date, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) pointed out to the Delhi government’s home department on Wednesday. (The Indian Express)
Everything has its time and I guess the expiry date for me has come on this project. (The Times of INdia)
Beware: Your Passport Can Be Invalid, Months Before Its Expiration Date (The Huffington Post)
The FDA also has no prohibition against stores selling food that is past the expiration date indicated on the label, although stores are obligated to make sure foods are safe for consumers. (The Las Vegas Sun)
If holders of 100% of the notes agree to consent before the expiration date of November 24, they will receive US$30 per US$1,000 principal amount. (Reuters)