The same-looking date can mean very different things Evidence: USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service says there is no uniform or universally accepted system for open food dating in the United States. “Best if Used By/Before” generally describes peak flavor or quality, “Sell-By” is used for store inventory management, and “Use-By” generally describes peak quality rather than safety. Evidence: USDA also says that, except for infant formula, food product dating is generally not required by federal regulation and these dates are not generally indicators of food safety. Analysis: a liquidation receiving team should not treat every printed date as an automatic expiration trigger. The wording, product category, package condition, storage history, and applicable rules all matter. Infant formula is the important exception Evidence: FDA requires a “use by” date on every container of infant formula. FDA says not to use infant formula after that date because the manufacturer guarantees the nutrient content and quality only through the labeled date. Evidence: FDA also advises buyers of formula by the case to make sure lot numbers and use-by dates on the individual containers and outer boxes match. Analysis: this is a category where a generic “dates are only about quality” rule can create a serious mistake. A receiving workflow should identify regulated exceptions before applying a broader date-code policy. Closed codes are not consumer expiration dates Evidence: USDA describes closed dating as a series of letters and/or numbers used by manufacturers to identify production information. On canned foods, these codes support stock rotation and product location during recalls and are not intended to be interpreted by consumers as “Best if Used By” dates. Analysis: liquidation buyers often encounter cases, inner packs, and individual units with multiple codes. A production or lot code should not automatically be converted into an expiration date unless the manufacturer or authoritative product information actually defines it that way. Cosmetics follow a different framework Evidence: FDA says U.S. law does not require cosmetic manufacturers to print expiration dates on cosmetic labels. Manufacturers are responsible for determining shelf life as part of their responsibility to substantiate product safety. Evidence: FDA notes that cosmetic shelf life can be affected by microorganisms, breakdown of preservatives, moisture, temperature changes, sunlight, air exposure, and repeated use. Analysis: for cosmetics, the absence of a printed expiration date does not prove that an item has unlimited shelf life. Condition, seal integrity, storage exposure, product type, and manufacturer guidance can matter more than simply finding a date stamp. Build a date-code decision instead of a date-code rule Analysis: a practical liquidation workflow can classify a date before deciding disposition:

  1. Identify the product category.
  2. Record the exact wording next to the date.
  3. Separate open calendar dates from lot or production codes.
  4. Check whether the category has a specific regulatory requirement.
  5. Inspect package integrity and known storage conditions.
  6. Use manufacturer guidance when a code or shelf-life rule is unclear.
  7. Document the reason for the resale, hold, donation, or disposal decision. The goal is not to ignore dates. It is to understand what each date actually represents before assigning value or risk to the inventory. Sources USDA FSIS, Food Product Dating. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/food-product-dating FDA, Handling Infant Formula Safely: What You Need to Know. https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/handling-infant-formula-safely-what-you-need-know FDA, Shelf Life and Expiration Dating of Cosmetics. https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-labeling/shelf-life-and-expiration-dating-cosmetics