Best before is sometimes indicated on food and drink wrappers, followed by a date, and is intended to indicate the date before which the food should be consumed _____________. In this case, a term like best before see bottom or best before see lid might be printed on the label and the date marked in a different location as indicated.

• A. sometimes the packaging process involves using pre-printed labels, making it impractical to write the best before date in a clearly visible location
• B. the term "use by" is similarly used to indicate the date by which the item will have outlived its shell life
• C. with this term, it is intended to ensure that customers will not unwittingly purchase or eat stale food
• D. generally, food that has a use by date written on the packaging must not be eaten after it has expired