Glossary

Use by

A safety date mark used on highly perishable foods where the date relates to safety.

Reviewed 22 September 2026 against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.

In practice

Date marks are generally a prepacked-food topic; PPDS minimum rules focus on name and ingredients with allergen emphasis.

On LabelClear we keep this definition tight so every guide uses the same meaning. If your situation is unusual, check with your local authority.

Must every PPDS pack show a use-by date?

The PPDS allergen labelling minimum is name and ingredients with emphasis. Date marks follow separate rules — check your product type.

Is use-by the same as best-before?

No. Use-by is about safety; best-before is about quality.

Everything on this page traces back to these. Where they and we disagree, they are right — tell us and we'll fix it.