Two kinds of label in a kitchen
Packaged food you buy carries a manufacturer's label regulated under FSSAI's Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, with dates set by the manufacturer. Food you prepare, portion, open or thaw needs your own label, with dates set by your food-safety plan.
Both matter. Once you open a pack, the manufacturer's date may no longer apply, because it assumed the pack stayed sealed. Many packs say how long the product keeps once opened; follow that and write the new date on your own label.
Use-by, expiry and best-before
| Term | What it means in practice | Kitchen rule |
|---|---|---|
| Use by / expiry date | The date after which the product should not be used | Do not use or sell after this date |
| Best before | The date until which the product keeps its expected quality; FSSAI's definition notes it may still be safe after, but must not be sold if it has become unsafe | Use before the date; after it, follow your plan and check condition |
| Date of manufacture or packing | When it was made or packed | Useful for FIFO when no other date is given |
What to write on an in-house label
- Product name, written clearly; 'gravy' is not enough when there are four gravies.
- Date and time prepared, opened or thawed.
- Use-by date and, for short-life items, the time.
- Initials of the person who prepared it.
- Allergens present, if your kitchen tracks them on labels.
- Storage note if it isn't obvious, such as 'keep frozen' or 'thawing — use within 12 hours'.
Setting in-house shelf lives
Don't let each cook decide how long something keeps. Your food-safety plan should list shelf lives for the items you make, based on the type of food, how it was made, how it is stored and recognised guidance. Write the list on the wall near the label station, so the use-by date on the label comes from a rule, not a guess.
Thawed food starts a new clock. FSSAI's published catering schedule says items being thawed should be labelled with the defrost date to mark the beginning of a second shelf life, and items thawed under running water should be labelled with the date and time.
Colour-coded day labels
Many kitchens use coloured labels or dots for each day of the week. A cook can scan a shelf and see at once that blue means Monday and anything blue on Thursday needs checking. Colour coding supports dates; it does not replace them. Use a fixed colour scheme across all outlets so staff who move between kitchens aren't confused.
Practical tips for labels that work
- Use labels that stick in cold and damp conditions and peel off cleanly; old labels on reused containers cause confusion.
- Write with a marker that doesn't smudge with condensation.
- Keep labels and markers at the point where food is prepared and stored, not in the office.
- Remove the old label before reusing a container.
- Check labels as part of the daily temperature and rotation check.
Why inspectors look at labels
Labels are fast evidence of control. An inspector who opens a refrigerator and finds every container named and dated, with nothing past its date, can see that stock rotation and shelf-life rules are working. Unlabelled containers, or labels with dates long past, suggest the opposite, whatever the paperwork says.
Frequently asked questions
- Is food safe the day after its use-by date if it was kept cold?
- Treat a use-by or expiry date as the limit. The date is set on the basis of safety, and some bacteria grow slowly even at refrigerator temperatures without changing how food looks or smells. Don't use or sell food after its use-by date.
- Do I need to label food that will be used the same day?
- It is good practice to label everything that goes into a shared refrigerator, including same-day items, because shifts change and food gets moved. A simple label with name, date and time costs seconds and removes doubt.
