What is the Best Before Date (BOD)?
The Best Before Date (BOD) refers to the last day on which a product can be consumed in accordance with specified quality and safety standards. Especially in food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and chemical products, the expiry date is of great importance to protect the health of consumers. This date is determined by the manufacturer of the product and written on the packaging as a result of certain tests.
How to Determine the Expiration Date?
Manufacturers carry out a series of tests and analyses when determining the SKT. These include microbiological testing, chemical stability analysis and sensory evaluations. Accelerated aging tests are conducted to understand how products deteriorate under certain conditions of temperature, humidity and light. These tests calculate how long the product can be used safely.
Where is the Expiry Date Used?
The Best Before Date is a mandatory information on product packaging in many sectors. Here are the main areas where SKT is used:
1. Food Products
In the food sector, the SKT prevents consumers from consuming products that may be spoiled and harmful to health. Especially in perishable products such as milk and dairy products, meat, bread and ready-to-eat foods, it is necessary to pay attention to the SKT.
2. Pharmaceutical and Medical Products
Medicines may lose their effectiveness after a certain period of time or may contain harmful ingredients. For this reason, the expiry date of medicines and medical products must be strictly observed. Medicines that have expired should not be used.
3. Cosmetics and Personal Care Products
Products such as make-up, creams, perfumes and shampoos can also deteriorate after a certain period of time and cause skin irritation. Therefore, cosmetic products with expired SKT should not be used.
4. Cleaning and Chemical Products
Detergents, disinfectants and cleaning materials can lose their chemical structure over time. The SKT should therefore be taken into account to understand whether these products retain their effectiveness.
What is the Difference Between SKT and TETT?
SKT (Best Before Date) is often confused with TETT (Recommended Consumption Date). SKT means that the product should not be consumed after the specified date. TETT, on the other hand, indicates that the product can still be consumed after the specified date, but that there may be a loss of quality. While SKT is used especially for health-critical products such as food and pharmaceuticals, TETT is preferred for products with a long shelf life.
Can Products Past their Expiry Date be Used?
Products that are past their expiry date usually pose a health risk. However, this may change for some products. For example, some dry foods can be consumed for a certain period of time if the packaging is unopened and stored in appropriate conditions. However, for sensitive products such as medicines and dairy products, the SDT must be strictly observed.
The Importance of Paying Attention to the Expiration Date
The Expiration Date is intended to protect the health of the consumer. Products with expired expiry dates may cause health problems. For this reason, the SKT must be checked when shopping and before using the products.
