until when can we consume an expired product?

In the fight against food waste, an initiative in Great Britain is relaunching all the debates on the regulation of use-by dates. A British supermarket chain has decided to simply remove the use-by date from some of its products. “This is the Waitrose brand. It will remove the labels with the best before date on nearly 500 products. This only concerns the indicative dates beyond which the consumption of a product remains safe. The goal : prevent customers from throwing away food that is still edible and thus fight against food waste. According to the brand, if the abolition were generalized, this would save seven million baskets of food”explains journalist Nicolas Bidard, present on the set of 12/13, Friday August 5.

In France, it is not always easy to navigate, because there are several indications on certain products. “Let’s start with the date of minimum durability the ‘DDM’. This is when it is written ‘to be consumed preferably before’. In this case, even if the date has passed, you can still consume the product. Only downside, its taste which can be altered. Then there is the expiry date called ‘DLC’. This is when it is written ‘to consume until’, followed by a day and a month. After this date, the consumption of a product can become dangerous for health”says Nicolas Bidard.

Can we exceed this famous expiry date? “It all depends on the type of product. For example, you can eat yogurts about a week after the expiry date. But they must be stored in good conditions. On the other hand, we take no risks with meat, fish or eggs”concludes Nicolas Bidard.