What are Expiration Dates Exactly?

Many people assume that the expiration date is the date until which food is safe to eat. While eating food that is well past the expiration date will pose some risks, that doesn't mean that a food is automatically unfit for human consumption the minute it reaches the expiration date. In reality, expiration dates are about the quality of a product more than its safety. This is why you can still eat some products after they expire. A piece of cheese or bread will still look the same on the day after its expiration date and will probably be safe to eat, but it won’t be as good. As a matter of fact, there is no such thing as an expiration date. You might see "sell by" dates, or "best before" dates, but never expiration dates per se. Let's take a look at what these terms mean.