Learning How to Check Food Expiry Dates properly is one of the most useful everyday skills for any household in the UAE. With long supply chains, imported products from dozens of countries, and date formats that vary by manufacturer, the small print on a package can be confusing. Reading it correctly keeps your family safe, stops you from throwing away food that is still perfectly good, and helps you pick the freshest items on the shelf.
This guide explains the different types of date labels you will find in UAE supermarkets, where to look for them, how to decode different date formats, and what to do when a date is missing, unclear, or looks tampered with.
Quick Answer
To check food expiry dates: find the printed date on the packaging (usually stamped, printed, or embossed near the top, bottom, or back of the pack); identify which type it is — “use by” and “expiry date” are safety deadlines, “best before” is about quality, and “production/manufacture date” tells you when it was made; read the date in the format used (most UAE products use DD/MM/YYYY); and for fresh items, combine the date with a look-smell check. Never buy or eat products with missing, scratched-off, or re-stamped dates.
How to Check Food Expiry Dates: The Types of Date Labels
Not every date on food packaging means the same thing. Mixing them up leads to two opposite mistakes: eating food that is no longer safe, or binning food that is still fine. Here are the labels you will encounter:
| Label | What it means | Can you eat it after this date? |
|---|---|---|
| Use by / Expiry date | The last date the food is considered safe to eat. Found on perishables like dairy, meat, chilled ready meals. | No — treat it as a safety deadline. |
| Best before | The date until which the manufacturer guarantees full quality (taste, texture). Found on biscuits, canned goods, dry pasta, oils. | Often yes — quality may decline but it is usually still safe if stored properly and the pack is intact. |
| Production / Manufacture date | When the product was made or packed. Common on locally produced items and some imports. | Not a deadline by itself — combine with the stated shelf life. |
| Sell by / Display until | Aimed at the shop, telling staff when to remove the item from shelves. | Usually fine for a few days after, if stored correctly — but check the use-by date too. |
| Packed on | When fresh meat, fish, or produce was packed in-store. | Use within the days stated on the label, or freeze promptly. |
The single most important distinction is between “use by” and “best before”. If you remember only one thing from this guide, remember this: use by is about safety; best before is about quality. For a broader look at decoding everything else on the package — ingredients, nutrition panels, and claims — see how to read food labels.
Where to Find the Date on the Packaging
Manufacturers do not all put the date in the same place, but there are a few usual spots:
- Stamped or printed on the top or bottom of the pack — typical for cans, jars, cartons, and packets. Look for ink-jet printing, which can be faint.
- Embossed or etched into the packaging — common on plastic bottles, tubs, and foil seals. Tilt the pack under a light; the numbers catch the light at an angle.
- On a sticker or neck tag — typical for in-store packed meat, fish, bakery, and deli items.
- Under a peel-back label or inside the cap — some dairy and juice products hide the date under the foil seal or cap.
- On the back panel near the barcode — a common spot for imported dry goods.
If you cannot find any date at all on a product that should have one, treat that as a red flag — do not buy it. Legitimate products sold in the UAE are required to carry date marking.
Decoding Date Formats
The UAE imports food from all over the world, so you will see several date formats on shelves. Reading them wrong can mean mistaking March for October.
The common formats
- DD/MM/YYYY (e.g. 14/03/2027) — the most common format in the UAE, used on local products and most imports from Europe, the UK, India, and the Middle East. Day first, then month.
- MM/DD/YYYY (e.g. 03/14/2027) — used on many products imported from the USA. Month first, then day. If you see a number above 12 in the first position, it must be the day — which tells you the format is DD/MM.
- YYYY-MM-DD (e.g. 2027-03-14) — an international standard format, unambiguous because the year comes first.
- Month abbreviated (e.g. “EXP MAR 2027” or “BB 14 MAR 27”) — common and unambiguous; just note whether it says best before (BB) or expiry (EXP).
Quick decoding tricks
When the format is unclear, look for context clues: the country of manufacture (printed near the barcode or in the ingredients panel) usually indicates the format convention. Numbers above 12 can only be days. And if a product claims a two-year shelf life but the “date” suggests it expires next week, you are probably reading the format backwards.
What the Date Does Not Tell You
The expiry date assumes the product was stored correctly all the way from factory to your fridge. In the UAE’s climate, that assumption matters more than in cooler countries. A chilled product left in a hot car for an hour, or a fridge running too warm, can spoil well before its printed date. That is why the date is a guide, not a guarantee.
For perishables, keep your refrigerator at the right temperature — typically at or below 4°C — so the dates on your dairy, meat, and ready meals actually hold. Our guide on how to check refrigerator temperature shows you how to verify it with a simple thermometer. And general safe handling is covered in how to store fresh food safely.
Checking Dates While Shopping: Fresh Categories
Dairy, meat, and chilled foods
These carry use-by dates and are the strictest category. In the store, pick packs with the furthest date, and check that chilled cabinets feel properly cold. At home, follow the storage instructions on the label — “keep refrigerated” means the clock is ticking faster at room temperature.
Fruits and vegetables
Fresh produce rarely carries an expiry date; freshness is judged by appearance, firmness, and smell. Pick items that feel firm and heavy for their size, with no soft spots, mould, or off smells — and learn which fruits keep ripening on your kitchen counter after you bring them home.
Canned, dried, and packaged goods
These usually carry best-before dates and long shelf lives. Before buying, check that cans are not dented, swollen, or rusty, and that packets are sealed and intact. A swollen can or broken seal can mean contamination regardless of the date — leave it on the shelf. After opening, the printed date no longer applies; follow the “use within X days of opening” instruction instead.
Baby food and infant formula
This category deserves extra care: always respect the expiry date exactly, never use formula past its date, and discard any pack whose seal is broken. When in doubt, do not risk it.
Common Mistakes People Make
- Treating “best before” as a safety deadline — and throwing away perfectly good rice, pasta, or canned food. Check the item: if the pack is intact and it looks and smells normal, best-before dates are flexible.
- Ignoring the date after opening — an unopened jar may be fine for a year, but once opened the “refrigerate and use within 3 days” rule takes over.
- Trusting the date on badly stored food — a use-by date means nothing if the cold chain was broken. Food that smells off or looks wrong should not be eaten even before its date.
- Reading the format backwards — 04/05 could be 4 May or 5 April depending on origin. Check the country of manufacture when unsure.
- Buying the front-of-shelf pack automatically — stores rotate stock so the nearest expiry sits at the front. Reach to the back for the freshest dates when you will not use the item immediately.
What to Do About Missing, Damaged, or Suspicious Dates
Sometimes the date is smudged, scratched off, or printed over with a second date. This is not normal. A missing or tampered date can mean the product is being sold past its real expiry, which is a genuine food safety issue.
If you spot this in a store, do not buy the product — and consider reporting it. Under UAE consumer protection laws, selling expired or mislabelled food is an offence, and consumers can file complaints with supporting evidence such as photos and receipts. Complaints can be submitted through the UAE consumer rights portal or your emirate’s municipality or economic department. If you have already bought and eaten something suspicious and feel unwell, seek medical attention promptly.
Using Dates to Waste Less Food
Date labels, used properly, are also a money-saving tool. Plan meals around the nearest use-by dates first — a “use it up” dinner built from what expires soonest stops good food from being binned. Freeze meat, bread, and dairy (where suitable) before the date arrives rather than after. And when shopping, only pick the furthest-dated pack if you genuinely will not use the item soon; otherwise the front-of-shelf pack is fine and reduces the chance it gets wasted in the store. To stretch the savings further, pair these habits with the grocery cashback strategies in our guide to the best credit cards in the UAE for 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I eat food after its best-before date?
Usually, yes — best before is about quality, not safety. Dry goods like rice, pasta, biscuits, and canned foods are often fine for weeks or months past the date if the packaging is intact and they look, smell, and taste normal. Use your senses as a second check, and when in doubt, throw it out.
Can I eat food after its use-by date?
No. Use-by dates appear on perishable foods like dairy, cooked meats, and chilled ready meals, where harmful bacteria can grow without changing the taste or smell. Do not eat these products past the date, even if they seem fine.
Why do some products have two different dates?
Many products carry both a production date and an expiry or best-before date — the first tells you when it was made, the second is the deadline that matters. Some in-store packed items show a “packed on” date plus a “use by” date. Always follow the use-by or expiry date for safety decisions.
How do I read expiry dates on imported products?
Check the country of manufacture first — it usually signals the format. Most products in the UAE use DD/MM/YYYY, while many US imports use MM/DD/YYYY. If the first number is above 12, it must be the day. Abbreviated months (e.g. “EXP MAR 2027”) are unambiguous.
Does the expiry date still count after I open the package?
No. Once opened, follow the storage instruction on the label, such as “refrigerate and consume within 3 days”. The printed date only applies to the sealed product stored as directed.
What should I do if a shop is selling food with no expiry date?
Do not buy it. Date marking is required on packaged food sold in the UAE, and a missing or tampered date is a red flag. You can report it to the consumer protection department of your emirate or through the national consumer rights portal, with photos and the store’s receipt if you have one.
The Bottom Line
How to check food expiry dates comes down to three steps: find the date, identify which kind it is, and read the format correctly. Treat “use by” as a hard safety line, “best before” as a quality guide, and never trust a missing or tampered date. Combined with proper storage and a quick look-and-smell check for fresh items, these habits keep your household safe and cut down on wasted food and money.
Last Updated: 8 October 2026
About the author: Zaviyar Sultan is a UAE-focused writer at Paxi, covering driving, visas, banking, insurance and everyday UAE life. His guides are researched from official UAE government and regulator sources and updated regularly.
Paxi is an independent informational website, not affiliated with the UAE government or any agency mentioned; content is general information only, not legal, immigration or financial advice; verify critical details with official sources before acting.