How to Read Expiry Dates on Packaging [Phone Guide]
Expiry dates are often laser-etched, embossed, or inkjet-printed in gray on a curved surface, which makes them hard to read by eye. Hold your phone 10 cm away, zoom to 4x to 6x, and shine the flashlight from a low angle so embossed characters cast a shadow. Then check the date format, because day-month-year and month-day-year are both common.
Where the date is hiding
You are standing at the fridge with a yogurt, turning it slowly, and the date seems to have been printed in a color chosen to match the lid. This is a normal experience. Dates are added at the end of the packaging line by a coder that prints wherever there is a flat strip, which is rarely where a person would look first.
Common hiding places by package type:
- Cans: stamped or inkjet-printed on the bottom, sometimes on the rim.
- Cartons and Tetra Pak: along the top seam or on a side fold, often black on a dark printed area.
- Plastic bottles: laser-etched on the neck or shoulder, nearly transparent against clear plastic.
- Bags and pouches: along the back seal, where the plastic is crinkled.
- Blister packs of tablets: embossed into the foil at one end, with the batch number.
- Cosmetics: on the crimp of a tube or under the base of a jar.
Reading embossed and laser-etched dates
Embossed dates have no ink at all. They are raised or pressed characters in the same color as the surrounding material, and they are invisible under flat overhead light. The solution is directional light.
- Hold the package so the date is roughly level.
- Bring a light in from the side at a low angle, almost skimming the surface. Each raised character now casts a tiny shadow and the date pops out.
- Look at the surface from slightly above, not from the same side as the light.
With a phone you can do this one-handed. In LoupeLens, turn on the flashlight, zoom to about 5x, and tilt the phone so the light rakes across the foil or plastic. Because the flashlight sits next to the lens, tilting the phone tilts the light with it, and you can watch the characters appear as the angle changes. Press and hold the flashlight and swipe to dim it if the foil is throwing back glare.
Laser-etched dates on clear bottles are easier with a dark background. Hold the bottle in front of a dark surface or your own hand so the tiny frosted marks stand out.
Faint inkjet dates
Inkjet codes on cartons and plastic are made of small dots and fade, smear, or print over a pattern. For these, zoom in to 6x to 8x and take a photo. On the frozen image the dots resolve into digits more easily than in the live view, and you can pinch to enlarge just the date. If the code is on a curved surface, photograph it head-on so all digits are the same distance from the lens.
Dates on a dark printed area often read better with the flashlight off and the package under a window or lamp. Direct flashlight on glossy print creates a bright spot right where the digits are. If you must use the flashlight, dim it and come in from the side, the same way you would for embossed text.
Decoding the format
Reading the digits is only half the job. The same string can mean different dates in different countries, and packages travel. A few anchors help:
| Printed | Likely meaning | Where common |
|---|---|---|
| 03/09/2026 | 3 September 2026 | Europe, UK, Australia, most of the world |
| 09/03/2026 | September 3, 2026 | United States |
| 2026-09-03 | 3 September 2026 (ISO) | Sweden, Japan, China, many exports |
| 09.2026 or 09/26 | End of September 2026 | Cosmetics, canned goods, medicines |
| L2409 or 6245 | A batch or Julian code, not a date | Bakery, canned goods |
If the first number is above 12, it has to be the day. If both numbers are 12 or below, look at the label language and the country of origin. A code with a year but no day, such as 09/26, means the product is fine until the end of that month.
Watch for a batch number next to the date. It often looks like a date at a glance but contains letters or a four-digit number that cannot be a calendar date.
Best before, use by, and the open jar symbol
Packaging uses several different phrases, and they do not mean the same thing.
- Use by / Exp / EXP: a safety date. Common on chilled meat, fish, and medicine. Respect it.
- Best before / BB / BBE / MHD (German) / DLUO or DDM (French): a quality date. The product is usually still safe afterward but may lose flavor or texture.
- Open jar symbol with 6M, 12M, 24M: the period after opening for cosmetics. It counts from the day you open it, so write the opening date on the bottom.
- Hourglass symbol: used on cosmetics with a shelf life under 30 months; the actual date is printed beside it.
A habit that saves repeated squinting
Once you have found and read a date, photograph it. Grouping these in one place is the useful part. LoupeLens saves every capture to its own album in Photos, so when you wonder next week whether the opened sauce is still good, the date is already in your gallery. For a jar on a high shelf, hold the phone above it with the rear camera and flashlight pointed at the lid, tap to take a photo, then read the photo.
If you regularly check medicine dates, the article on reading medicine labels covers blister packs and dosage text in more depth. For a general approach to any tiny text, see the phone as magnifying glass guide.
This article is general information about reading packaging, not food safety or medical advice. When in doubt about a medicine, ask a pharmacist.
Frequently asked questions
How do I read an embossed expiry date on a blister pack?
Shine a light across the foil at a low angle rather than straight on. The raised characters cast small shadows and become readable. With a phone, turn on the flashlight, zoom to about 5x, and tilt the phone until the digits appear. Dim the flashlight if the foil glares.
What does 09/26 mean on a package?
A month and year with no day means the product is good until the end of that month, in this case September 2026. This format is common on cosmetics, canned goods, and medicines.
How do I know whether a date is day-month or month-day?
If either number is greater than 12, it must be the day. Otherwise use the label language and country as a guide: the United States uses month-day-year, while most of Europe and the rest of the world uses day-month-year. ISO format year-month-day is unambiguous.
What is the jar symbol with 12M on cosmetics?
It is the period-after-opening symbol. 12M means the product should be used within 12 months of first opening it. It is separate from any printed expiry date, so note the day you opened the product.
Is best before the same as use by?
No. Use by is a safety date, common on chilled meat, fish, and medicine, and should be respected. Best before is a quality date; the product is usually still safe after it but may have lost some flavor or texture.