# AI tells a US consumer that food is unsafe or must be discarded once its 'sell by,' 'use by,' or 'best by' date has passed, treating these as federally mandated safety expiration dates

- **ID:** `food-safety/date-labels-not-federal-safety-dates`
- **Domain:** food-safety
- **Category:** hazard_misjudgment
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 85%

## Root Cause

Except for infant formula, product dating on US packaged food is not required by federal law or regulation - manufacturers apply 'Sell-By,' 'Use-By,' 'Best if Used By,' and similar dates voluntarily as quality indicators, not safety cutoffs. USDA and FDA both state a 'use by' date reflects peak flavor/quality, not a safety deadline, and properly stored food generally remains safe to eat after that date passes; spoilage should be judged by smell, texture, and appearance instead. Infant formula is the sole federally mandated exception: FDA regulation requires a 'Use By' date on every container, and formula should not be fed to an infant after that date because the manufacturer only guarantees nutrient content up to it.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| any | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **Judge ordinary packaged food safety by smell, texture, appearance, and proper storage/handling rather than by a passed sell-by/use-by/best-by date** (85% success)
2. **Treat infant formula's 'Use By' date as a hard safety cutoff and discard/replace unopened containers once it passes** (90% success)

## Dead Ends

- **Tell a consumer that a passed 'sell by,' 'use by,' or 'best by' date on ordinary packaged food (other than infant formula) means the food is unsafe and must be thrown out** — USDA FSIS states that except for infant formula, product dating is not required by federal regulation at all, and where manufacturers add these dates voluntarily, a 'use-by' date is the last date recommended for use of the product while at peak quality and is not a safety date. FDA says the same: these are quality indicators, and properly stored food does not have to be discarded once the date passes. (75% fail)
- **Apply the same 'date has passed, still fine if stored properly' reasoning to infant formula** — Infant formula is the one federally regulated exception: FDA requires a 'Use By' date on every container, and the manufacturer only guarantees the labeled nutrient content and quality up to that date - formula should not be fed to an infant after it passes. (60% fail)