After an open date passes, food may not be at the best quality, but products should still be safe if handled properly and stored at proper temperatures.If the product has a “use-by” date, the product should be consumed or frozen by that date. More than 20 states require dating of certain foods, but other states do not require any food dating. Department of Agriculture (USDA), there is no uniform or universally accepted system used for food dating in the United States.

For a processor to move their product in interstate commerce it must exhibit a packing code.

The date does not correspond to the date by which the product must be consumed to ensure food safety; rather, the date is indicated for product quality.

Open dating is typically found on perishable foods such as meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products.

USDA advises consumers to use eggs within three to 5 weeks of purchase, and states, “The ‘sell-by’ date will usually expire during that length of time, but the eggs are perfectly safe to use.” UPC Use: Scanning for price, inventory, and marketing Universal Product Codes (UPC codes), or bar codes, appear on most packaged product labels because scanners can “read” them quickly to record the price of the product.

UPC codes are used not only for pricing, but to help manufacturers record inventory levels and track sales for marketing purposes.