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What are the possible ways to indicate Expiry Date or Minimum Durability of a food in Malaysia? And what are the differences between them with respect to quality and safety indications?

March 27, 2019
ANSWER

According to Regulation 14 of Food Regulation 1985,

a. “expiry date”, in relation to a package of food, means the date after which the food, when kept in accordance with any storage conditions set out in the label of such food, may not retain the quality attributes normally expected by a consumer.

  • the expiry date in respect of any food shall be shown in one of the following forms:
    1. “EXPIRY DATE or EXP DATE (here insert the date, expressed in day, month and year or in month or
      year)”;
    2. “USE BY (here insert the date, expressed in day, month and year or in month or year)”; or
    3. “CONSUME BY or CONS BY (here insert the date, expressed in day, month and year or in month or year)”;

b. “date of minimum durability”, in relation to a package of food, means the date until which the food, when kept in accordance with any storage conditions set out in the label of such food, will retain any specific qualities for which tacit or express claim has been made.

  • the date of minimum durability in respect of any food, shall be shown in the following form:
    1. “BEST BEFORE or BEST BEF (here insert the date, expressed in day, month and year or in month or year)”:

 

Provided that where only a month of particular year is stated, it shall be presumed that the expiry date or date of minimum durability, as the case may be, shall be by the end of that month.

 

Reference

Ministry of Health Malaysia. (2017). Food Regulation 1985. Regulation 14.

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