Product Description Spoillage signs Shelf-life guideline
Fresh meat, chicken, fish, cold
cuts
Pastries / cake
Freshly pressed (not heated)
fruit juice
Cut vegetables and fruit
(fresh)
Eggs Eggs may be given out untill
at the best-before (THT) date NEVER give out past beste-before (THT) date
Soft cheeses
These foods sometimes have
a use-by (TGT) date.
Cooling (7°C or colder)
required
Bacterial growth (sometimes mould)
Bad smell or strange colour
NEVER accept or give out products after the useby (TGT) or best-before (THT) date.
The customer must still be able to eat the
product on the TGT/THT date.
If the cold chain has been broken, do NOT
distribute!
Bread, rye bread, bake-off
bread
Cake, filled cookies, soft
cookies, ‘ontbijtkoek’
Semi-preserved (herring,
mussels, etc.)
Cooling (7°C or colder)
required Fat going rancid
Cut hard cheeses (sliced,
grated)
Ready-made meat substitutes Vegetarian smoked sausage,
vegetarian ‘meat’ pieces
Milk substitutes based on
oats, soy, almonds, etc. Bacterial growth (sometimes mould)
Vegetables and fruit (fresh,
not soft fruit) Mold growth Visually assess (must not show any spoilage)
Pasturized milk
Dairy-based and cream-based
desserts
Buttermilk, yogurt, cottage
cheese and other fermented
dairy products
Souring and protein settling, bacterial
growth (sometimes mould)
Bad smell or strange colour
For acceptance, observe the use-by (TGT) / bestbefore (THT) date; distribution is only permitted
up to 5 day after the best-before date if the
product shows no signs of spoilage:
-Product appearance: no mold, no cloudiness (if
unusual), and/or no slime;
-Packaging: swollen packaging indicates
unwanted gas formation due to spoilage;
If the product still looks normal after opening the
packaging, smells good (not unusual, rotten, or
chemically), and tastes good (not strange or
unpleasant), and has been stored refrigerated,
then the product can still be safely consumed
after the best-before date. Allow a maximum of 1
day for this. If in doubt, discard the product.
If the cooling chain has been interrupted, do NOT
hand out!
These products often have a
“use-by date” (TGT) and
cooling (7°C or colder) is
almost always required.
For raw chicken and fish, the
limit is 4°C
Bacterial growth (sometimes mould)
Bad smell or strange colour
NEVER accept or give out products after the useby (TGT) or best-before (THT) date.
The customer must still be able to eat the
product on the TGT/THT date.
If the cold chain has been broken, do NOT
distribute!
For acceptance, observe the use-by (TGT) / bestbefore (THT) date; distribution is only permitted
up to 1 day after the best-before date if the
product shows no signs of spoilage:
-Product appearance: no mold, no cloudiness (if
unusual), and/or no slime;
-Packaging: swollen packaging indicates
unwanted gas formation due to spoilage;
If the product still looks normal after opening the
packaging, smells good (not unusual, rotten, or
chemically), and tastes good (not strange or
unpleasant), and has been stored refrigerated,
then the product can still be safely consumed
after the best-before date. Allow a maximum of 1
day for this. If in doubt, discard the product.
If the cooling chain has been interrupted, do NOT
hand out!
Chilled meals, salads
Shelf-life table NVWA, Annex info sheet 76 (May 2025)
version 7 – June 2025
Limited shelf life (1)
Short shelf life
Bacterial growth (sometimes mould)
Bad smell or strange colour
Limited shelf life (2)
Musty, mold growth
Observe the best-before (THT) date; exceptions
are possible, but be sure to judge carefully! Fresh
bread can be frozen, preferably give out and
consume within 2-3 weeks.
These products may have a
use-by (TGT) date or a bestbefore (THT) date.
Cooling (7°C or colder)
required.
Product Description Spoillage signs Shelf-life guideline
Dry biscuits/cookies
Muesli, breakfast cereals,
cornflakes
Bread spreads (peanut butter,
chocolate sprinkles, sweet
spreads)
Crisps/chips, savoury snacks,
peanuts
Oil, frying fat
Instant powder, fat Soup, milk powder
Margarine, butter
Hard cheeses For example Gouda,
Emmenthaler, Parmesan
Candy (soft) With filling, chocolate,
licorice
Sauces French fries sauce,
mayonnaise, ketchup
Former canned goods in
packaging other than
cans/glass
For example soup,
vegetables, legumes in standup pouches or packets
Sterilized milk, dairy products,
and milk substitutes based on
oats, soy, almonds, etc.
UHT-packaged long-life milk,
custard, oat drink in cartons,
sterilized products in bottles
Ambient odor can effect product.
Taste changes or loss.
Refridgerated fruit juices (that
have been heated) Refridgerated fruit juices Odor change, color change, taste change,
mold formation
For fresh juices, monitor the temperature at 7°C
or lower
Frozen products Fresh products, frozen at the
latest on use-by (TGT) date or
best-before (THT) date
Dehydration (freezer burn), going rancid For frozen products, monitor the temperature at –
18 degrees or lower
Salt, sugar, flour
Dry pasta products Noodles, macaroni, spaghetti
Couscous, semolina, rice
Coffee, tea
Instant powder, low fat Coffee powder, spice mix,
pudding
Water, soft drinks and UHTtreated drinks (e.g. cartons of
fruit juice)
Taste may deteriorate (enzymatic
browning), water: algae formation
Canned goods, tin/glass Vegetables, fruit, soup, meat,
fish, coffee milk, jam
Rust formation on tin, caps. Gas formation
(bulging), color or odor changes
Syrup, molasses, honey Saccharification, this is not a spoilage
characteristic
Candy (hard) Lollipops, sour candies
Frozen products Originally marketed as a
frozen product Dehydration, rancidity of fat For frozen products, monitor the temperature at –
18 degrees or lower
Cold chain: Monitoring temperature during storage, transport and distribution — from receiving to giving out.
Very long shelf life
No spoilage if stored dry. May become
musty after a very long time. Also pay
attention to hardness, moisture absorption,
the presence of insects, mites, rancidity,
and mold.
Musty, loss of taste, change in taste, drying
out, change in texture, presence of mites
and insects
Up to 2 months (and possibly longer) after the
best-before (THT) date, provided the product still
retains its characteristic properties and no
defects are visible in the product or packaging.
With the exception of infant formula: observe
the best before (THT) date!
Up to 1 year (and possibly longer) after the bestbefore (THT) date, provided the product still
retains its characteristic properties and no
defects are visible in the product or packaging.
With the exception of infant formula: observe
the best before (THT) date!
Rancidity of the fat, odor changes, color
changes, oxidation, mold formation,
presence of insects
Shelf-life table NVWA, Annex info sheet 76 (May 2025)
version 7 – June 2025
Long shelf life