Best-before date
The best-before date promises quality up to that day – unlike the use-by date, it isn't a date for throwing food away.
Ausführlich erklärt
“Best before” means exactly that: up to this date, the manufacturer guarantees taste, colour and texture – after that, the food is usually fine for a long time. The use-by date is a completely different matter: it appears on highly perishable products such as minced meat, fresh poultry, raw fish or pre-cut salad and is a safety limit. Please don't eat food after this date, even if it doesn't smell of anything.
The best-before date is one of the main causes of food waste: according to the initiative “Zu gut für die Tonne” (“Too good for the bin”) run by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, many households throw away yoghurt, cheese, eggs or pasta on the date itself, even though they're perfectly fine. Your senses are the better test: look, smell, try a little. Mould, a bloated pack, or a sour or musty smell are clear stop signs – a date on its own isn't.
Typical leeway: unopened natural yoghurt and quark often keep for one to two weeks past the date, hard cheese for weeks, pasta, rice, flour and tinned food for months to years, chocolate and biscuits for months (at worst they turn a little grey or soft). Eggs carry a best-before date of 28 days after laying; after that, they're still fine to use if cooked through. Salt, sugar and vinegar don't need a date at all.
Two exceptions where caution applies: once a pack has been opened, it's no longer the best-before date that counts but the time since opening – and with products for babies, pregnant women or people with weakened immune systems, it's better not to push your luck.
A tip for home: in the fridge, move the items with the nearest date to the front (“first in, first out”, as in shops) and go through your store cupboard twice a year.