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Mandatory 'Use-by Date' for Loose Sweets, Eggs in UP: What You Must Check!
- •Uttar Pradesh mandates "Use-by Date" display for loose sweets and perishable items from October 15 to curb stale food sales.
- •The directive by the state FSDA requires sweet shops and manufacturers to prominently display freshness dates on non-packaged sweets.
- •While packaged sweets have mandatory expiry labels, this new rule addresses the lack of standardized freshness assessment for loose items.
- •Consumers should look for the "Use-by Date" on sweet trays and check for sour odor, stickiness, or rancid sheen on milk-based sweets.
- •For eggs without date marks, perform a water float test: fresh eggs sink flat, slightly older ones stand upright, and stale eggs float.
Key Questions Answered
Starting October 15, sweet shops and manufacturing units across Uttar Pradesh must prominently display an official "Use-by Date" on containers and trays holding non-packaged or loose sweets to ensure consumer safety and product freshness transparency.
If you are buying eggs without a date mark, you can verify their freshness using the water float test. A fresh egg sinks to the bottom and lies flat on its side, an older but edible egg stands upright on its tip, and a stale egg floats to the top and should be discarded immediately.
Eggs stored at an ambient temperature of around 30 degrees Celsius should be consumed within two weeks of laying, whereas eggs kept in refrigeration between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius remain good for consumption for up to five weeks.
