New tool to decide the “best before” date or “use by” date of food

Best before

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has developed a tool to help food business operators decide when to apply the best before date or use by date to their products.

The tool is focused on the risk that food business operators must follow when deciding the type of date marking, shelf-life setting, and related food information to be provided on labelling to ensure food safety. It is structured as a decision tree with a series of questions that food business operators must answer to help them decide, for example, whether a "best before" or "use by" date is necessary.

The decision on the type of date marking should be made on a product-by-product basis, taking into account the relevant hazards, product characteristics, processing and storage conditions.

Key steps of a case‐by‐case procedure to determine and validate the shelf‐life period are:

  • Identification of the relevant pathogenic/spoilage microorganism and its initial level,
  • Characterisation of the factors of the food affecting the growth behaviour,
  • Assessment of the growth behaviour of the pathogenic/spoilage microorganism in the food product during storage until consumption.

At AGROLAB GROUP we have ISO 17025 accreditation for the determination of all types of microorganisms in food, as well as other necessary indicators such as pH and water activity.

Please contact our Customer Service or sales manager for more information.

 (IG)

 

Author: Dra. Isabel Gómez