Dates on dried infusion ingredients: how to read the packet

1. Read the words, not just the numbers

Best before concerns quality; use by concerns safety. EFSA explains this distinction. Do not use a product after its use-by date, even when it looks and smells normal. A quality date alone, however, cannot settle the condition of a particular opened packet.

Turn the packet around and locate the complete statement. If the label refers you to the seal or base, look there. Do not confuse a batch code with a date. Photograph an unclear print and ask the producer rather than guessing the final digit. Keep the product name and batch identification so your enquiry concerns the correct packet.

2. Read the date alongside storage instructions

The European Commission highlights the importance of consistent information about shelf life, storage and use after opening. Read these together. A distant date does not resolve damage to the packaging or storage contrary to the instructions. This guide cannot establish whether a particular packet is suitable to use.

Position products in your cupboard so their labels remain accessible. If you transfer the contents to a container, keep the original label or a legible photograph. Avoid topping up the remnants of one batch with a new batch: you will lose track of which contents the information describes. Two separate containers are clearer than one date chosen from memory.

3. Record opening without inventing a new deadline

Write the opening date and blend name on an extra label. Alongside them, copy any instructions the producer gives for an opened packet. Do not cover the original date or ingredients. Your note records the product’s history; it neither replaces the producer’s information nor creates a new shelf life.

A useful home record has four fields: product, opened on, date on the packet, and after-opening instructions. An empty final field means you have no such information, not permission for unlimited storage. Ask the producer about that specific product when uncertain. Do not borrow a number of days from a different blend merely because its packaging looks similar.

4. Plan purchases around what you already have

Before shopping, check open packets and note which you intend to use in line with their instructions. Keeping a tidy cupboard should never pressure you into drinking something questionable. Do not try to rescue suspect dried ingredients through longer brewing, extra spices or mixing them with a new batch. Tasting is not a safety test.

Choose a pack size that suits your own use. A smaller packet is practical when exploring a new flavour and helps limit the number of blends open at once. Use the Napar atlas and infusion previews to explore aromas, but read dates and storage directions from the actual product. Neither an app nor a general guide can assess the contents of your cupboard.

Frequently asked questions