Use By vs Best Before: A Guide to Food Waste & Turkish Labelling Compliance

In the high-stakes world of food manufacturing and retail, the date label is far more than a simple timestamp; it is the intersection of consumer safety, product quality, and corporate sustainability. Yet, despite clear regulatory definitions, confusion between ‘Use By’ and ‘Best Before’ dates remains a leading driver of avoidable food waste across the UK and Europe.

For businesses managing supply chains that stretch into Türkiye—a global hub for agricultural and processed food production—this confusion is often compounded by language barriers. Understanding how international standards map to the local STT and TETT designations is not just a compliance requirement; it is a critical skill for effective supplier management.

The Global Cost of Label Confusion

The European Commission estimates that up to 10% of the 88 million tonnes of food waste generated annually in the EU is directly linked to date marking misunderstanding. When consumers—or indeed, warehouse managers—cannot distinguish between a safety warning and a quality recommendation, perfectly edible food ends up in landfill.

For quality assurance professionals auditing Turkish suppliers (fason üretim), ensuring these dates are determined scientifically and applied correctly is paramount. A mislabelled batch from a contract manufacturer doesn’t just threaten sustainability goals; it exposes the brand to significant regulatory risk.

Deciphering the Dates: A Technical Distinction

To manage inventory effectively, one must distinguish between the microbiological safety of a product and its organoleptic quality. Here is how the English terms align with Turkish regulations (Turkish Food Codex).

Use By Date (Safety)

Turkish Equivalent: Son Tüketim Tarihi (STT)

The Use By date is the rigid red line of food safety. It applies to highly perishable foods that, from a microbiological perspective, are likely to constitute an immediate danger to human health after a short period.

• The Rule: Food must not be consumed, sold, or processed after this date.

• The Science: After the Use By date, pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes or Salmonella may reach unsafe levels, even if the food looks and smells normal.

• Common Applications: Fresh poultry, minced meat, unpasteurised cheeses, ready-to-eat salads.

Best Before Date (Quality)

Turkish Equivalent: Tavsiye Edilen Tüketim Tarihi (TETT)

The Best Before date is an indicator of quality, not safety. It relates to the flavour, texture, aroma, and colour of the food.

• The Rule: Food is generally safe to eat after this date, provided the packaging is intact. However, the manufacturer no longer guarantees the product will meet its premium specifications. A biscuit might be soft; chocolate might show signs of bloom.

• The Waste Factor: Treating a ‘Best Before’ date as a ‘Use By’ date is a primary cause of industrial and consumer food waste.

• Common Applications: Tinned foods, dried pasta, rice, frozen foods, confectionery.

The Supplier Auditing Challenge in Türkiye

Why do we see Best Before labels on products that clearly require a Use By date, or vice versa? The root cause is often found at the source: the manufacturer’s risk assessment.

When sourcing from Türkiye, you are relying on your partner’s internal protocols to determine shelf life. A common issue arises in private label (contract) manufacturing, where suppliers may aggressively shorten dates to “protect” themselves from complaints, or misapply an STT label to a shelf-stable product.

As a brand owner, if you are importing goods labelled with STT when they should be TETT, you are inadvertently shortening your product’s viable commercial life. Conversely, a TETT label on a high-risk chilled product is a recall waiting to happen. To mitigate this, robust supply chain verification is essential.

Strategies for Compliance and Waste Reduction

To align with modern standards like the UN SDG 12.3 (halving food waste), businesses must adopt a proactive approach:

1. Rigorous Shelf-Life Validation: Ensure your Turkish suppliers are not guessing. Dates must be backed by accredited stability tests and microbiological challenge testing.

2. Bilingual Clarity: If you are labelling for export, ensure the translation between STT and Use By is accurate on the artwork.

3. Storage Instruction: A date is only valid if the storage conditions (e.g., “Keep refrigerated at 4°C”) are maintained throughout the cold chain.

4. The Audit Trail: The only way to guarantee these standards is through physical verification of the supplier’s Quality Management System (QMS).

Quality Starts at the Source

Reducing food waste is an operational discipline. It requires technical knowledge, regulatory adherence, and a commitment to quality assurance that spans borders.

If you are managing private label agreements in Türkiye, you cannot rely solely on paperwork. You need to know that your supplier understands the crucial difference between STT and TETT just as clearly as you understand Use By and Best Before.

Elevate Your Supplier Standards

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Are you a professional managing private label production in Türkiye and want to master the auditing process yourself?
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Author: Akakan Akay

Source

1. WRAP (The Waste and Resources Action Programme). (2020). Labelling Guidance: Best Practice on Date Marks and Storage Advice. Banbury, UK.

2. EFSA (European Food Safety Authority). (2020). Guidance on date marking and related food information: part 1 (date marking). EFSA Journal, 18(12).

3. European Commission. (2018). Market study on date marking and other information provided on food labels and food waste prevention. Brussels.

4. Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. (2017). Turkish Food Codex Regulation on Food Labelling and Consumer Information. Official Gazette No. 29960.

5. Food Standards Agency (FSA). (2021). Best practice guidance on the application of date labels to food. London.