Dates on the products

Different kind of products can have different kind of dates: date of production, laying date, best before, expiry date, use-by date, etc. The meaning of each notion might vary from different countries and their legislation.

Best before

This notion, sometimes shown as BBE (best before end), seems to be available in many countries with the same meaning: best before is related to food quality and not food safety. The food will be safe to eat after this date but may not be at its best.

• United Kingdom
• Canada
• USA: Best if used by/best before seem commonly used.
• France: this is called Date Limite d'Utilisation Optimale (DLUO) « à consommer de préférence jusqu'au/avant le… ». These sentences have to be mentioned completely.

Sources:

• https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/best-before-and-use-by-dates

Vintage

We're talking here about wines of course, but also sardines, and probably other kind of products.

• Sardines: https://world.openfoodfacts.org/product/3760148291421/sardines-de-saint-gilles-croix-de-vie-millesime-2015-la-perle-des-dieux

Since

In many cases the since mention is related to the brand. Eg:

• https://world.openfoodfacts.org/product/3073416092362/cacao-barry-since-1842

But some since mentions are related to the product itself. Eg:

• https://world.openfoodfacts.org/product/7310960031413/gorbys-the-original-since-1989
  

[To be completed]