Which of the following are required for food safety?

• A. Expiration date
• B. Recommended use date
• C. Best used by date
• D. None of the above, except in infant formula

Answer: (D)

Dates on food packaging mainly guide quality and freshness, not universal safety. Food safety depends on proper handling, storage, and sanitation rather than a date label on every product. The only case where a date is required by regulations is infant formula, which must carry a date to help ensure safety and proper use. Because of that, there isn’t a general requirement for expiration, use-by, or best-by dates for all foods—only infant formula requires it. In practice, you should still discard foods that show spoilage or signs of contamination, while treating date labels on non-infant foods as quality indications rather than strict safety requirements.