Date Marking: Best Before End

Products with a recommended life of more than 3 months can use a date stating “best before end”. This is the case for many products including frozen foods. Here are two examples:

The first example is taken from a Confectionary product. There is a clear statement, “Best before end”; followed by the month and year in numbers, “03 2022”. The box also contains the storage instructions, “Store in a cool, dry place”. The manufacturer has also added various codes allowing them to investigate should there be quality problems associated with the pack.

The second example is from a pack of Frozen ice lollies. Here there is the statement “Best before end / Lot” and, printed above this, are the date and a Lot code. The date is the month and year, “07.2023”. Simple storage instructions are also given, “Keep frozen”:

On the main information panel on the back of the pack, the full storage details are given along with a reference to where to find the “best before end date”