What to know about Date Codes & Shelf Life

We know it can be very confusing trying to interpret all the various date codes that are on the many different items we buy at the grocery store.  

Below is a quick overview on how we date our products, a list (by product category, with the expected shelf life) and below that an overview by one of the agencies that we are governed by (example - CFIA). 

The "best before" date appears either on the lip of the lid of a jar; or, the shoulder area of a bottle.

The month is indicated by the specified bilingual abbreviations.

For our date coding, the year appears first, followed by the month, then the day.

BB / MA: 2027 JA 30

Months are abbreviated as:
     ~ January: JA
     ~ February: FE
     ~ March: MR
     ~ April: AL
     ~ May: MA
     ~ June: JN
     ~ July: JL
     ~ August: AU
     ~ September: SE
     ~ October: OC
     ~ November: NO
     ~ December: DE

This shows on our products as:

Eating food that has passed the "best before" date:

You can buy and eat foods after the "best before" date has passed. However, when this date has passed, the food may lose some of its freshness and flavour; or its texture may have changed. Some of its nutritional value, such as vitamin C content, may also be lost.

Remember that "best before" dates are not indicators of food safety, neither before nor after the date. They apply to unopened products only. Once opened, the shelf life of a food may change.


Product categories with the expected shelf life (from production date)

The Government of Canada's role in food safety

The Government of Canada is committed to food safety.

Health Canada establishes regulations and standards relating to the safety and nutritional quality of food sold in Canada. Through inspection and enforcement activities, the CFIA is responsible for verifying that food sold in Canada meets Health Canada's requirements.

For more information on food safety, please visit