Instructions: For food that is safe and delicious to eat, proper storage is important. But no matter how well you package something, at some point its got to go. How can you tell how long its safe to hold onto something?

Below is a listing of recommendations for storing various foods. Its important to note that some recommendations are safety-based, while others are for maintaining best food taste (quality).

Foods like oils, herbs, and flour simply lose flavor if they are stored for too long. If the recommended storage time for one of these foods has elapsed, but it smells fine, it will not have as good a flavor as when it was fresh but is still safe to eat, according to food processors.

Foods like eggs, milk products, meat, chicken, seafood, and tofu, however, are subject to bacterial contamination. Eating these foods after they have spoiled could result in food-borne illnesses.

Dates printed on many food products can help you decide what stays and what goes. The following information is what they mean:

"Sell by" date tells the store how long to display the product for sale. Dont buy something after this date, but if you already have it at home, it may be safe for a few more days (see table).

"Use by" or "Best if used by" date is the last date recommended for use of the product at peak quality. It is not a safety-related date.

"Expiration" date means dont use the product after this date.

Safe food storage recommendations:

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