For most people, "sell by" dates indicates the time when a product expires and should be discarded. It is therefore easy to tell when to throw out food, but it turns out that in most situation the tags "sell by" or "best used by" are not automatic warnings that the food is spoiled.

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The "sell-by" date informs the store of how long a product must be displayed for sale. It does not mean that the product is spoilt once it reaches the "sell-by" or "best used by" date, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture,

A "best used by" date actually has a no connection with spoilage. In this case, the date is recommended for flavor or quality standards. A canned item such as soup with a "best if used by" date might be safe to eaten long after the date passes, but expect a little less flavor with each passing day.

According to ABC News, there are no federal requirements for indicating expiration dates on food, except for infant formula. The "best used by" date indicates the last date of the product's best quality. In the infant formula, using a product after the "best used by" date can mean there are less nutrients and the quality that have degraded so that the formula separates.

"What most people think is that the food is bad after that date, and that it could be hazardous," said by Dr. Michael Hansen, senior staff scientist with Consumers Union, a consumer trade group.

According to Food World News, the U.S Department of Agriculture has released guidelines on how long to keep decomposable items in the fridge. The guidelines should be followed regardless of the "sell-by" date. Food with a "use-by" date shouldn't be consumed after that date passes.

Make sure to measure and buy food that can actually consume in order to avoid food waste and maximize quality. Use the "sell by", "best if used by" and "use by" dates as a means of guidelines.

Tagsfood, food safety, sell-by, best used by, U.S Department of Agriculture, products best quality