Some of the products within your food parcel may be close to, or past the ‘Best Before’ or ‘Best Before End’ date. The product(s) is/are safe to consume, providing any on-pack handling, storage and usage instructions are followed.

All products have been visually inspected to confirm they are of sufficient quality and that critical packaging integrity is maintained (e.g. an outer cardboard box could be damaged, but the primary inner packaging is intact). Please refer to the table below for guidelines on length of product extension and checks required to determine products are sufficient quality.

NB: These are guidelines and the table is not exhaustive.
* Sample packs may need to be opened to carry out a visual inspection (e.g. for mould).
** If items have been stored frozen at the Food Business Operator (FBO) in accordance with on-pack instructions, they will be safe to eat for months after the ‘Best Before End’ date. In some cases (for example frozen pork cuts, minced pork products, pizzas with ham and pepperoni, kippers and mackerel) it would be advisable to confirm any potential to donate food after the BBE date with the manufacturer (as these products are more likely to be affected by changes in taste even when frozen). The star-rating storage life reflects the length of time the product is likely to remain in good condition. Eventually, even well-frozen food will deteriorate and become unpalatable, whilst still remaining safe to eat.
*** Developed in conjunction with the British Soft Drinks Association

These guidelines are strictly for products with a ‘Best Before’/ ‘Best Before End’ expiry date, and not to be used for products labelled with a ‘Use By’ date. All other labelling is to be compliant to European Food Information to Consumers Regulation No 1169/2011 (FIC).

The food redistribution organisation agrees to take all necessary measures to ensure the safe and hygienic storage, handling and transport of this surplus food, including visual inspections for quality, damage and packaging integrity, before redistributing this food to other organisations or end recipients.