In Switzerland, two labels govern nearly every product on your Coop or Migros shelf: best before (Mindesthaltbarkeitsdatum, MHD) and use by (Verbrauchsdatum). They look similar but mean very different things. The first is a quality estimate; the second is a genuine safety limit. Mixing them up costs Swiss households real money every year.
What does 'best before' actually mean?
The Mindesthaltbarkeitsdatum (MHD) — printed as mindestens haltbar bis, à consommer de préférence avant, or da consumare preferibilmente entro — tells you that the producer guarantees full quality until that date. After the date, the product may taste slightly different, look less vibrant, or have a softer texture. It does not mean the food is dangerous.
Think of it like a freshness promise, not a cliff edge. A yoghurt one week past its MHD is almost certainly fine. Dried pasta three months over? Still edible. Honey, salt, and sugar carry MHDs for legal reasons — they essentially never expire.
Key takeaway: MHD = quality guarantee. The food is still safe to assess with your senses — smell it, taste a small amount, check the texture. If it seems fine, it almost always is.
What does 'use by' mean — and why is it different?
The Verbrauchsdatum (à consommer jusqu'au / da consumare entro) appears on genuinely perishable items: raw minced meat, vacuum-packed smoked fish, fresh ready meals. Swiss food law (Lebensmittelgesetz, LMG) requires these products to be discarded after that date because harmful bacteria — including Listeria and Salmonella — can multiply to unsafe levels regardless of how the product looks or smells.
This label deserves real respect. Eating raw chicken three days past its use-by date is a health risk, not just a quality call. The rule is simple: if it says Verbrauchsdatum, follow it.
How much food are Swiss households actually throwing away?
According to foodwaste.ch, Swiss households discard roughly 2.8 million tonnes of food per year across the entire supply chain. At the household level, each person throws away an estimated 320 kg of food annually — and a significant share of that is perfectly edible food discarded because of a misread MHD label.
The Bundesamt für Lebensmittelsicherheit und Veterinärwesen (BLV) has noted that confusion between best-before and use-by dates is one of the main drivers of unnecessary household waste. The BAFU (Federal Office for the Environment) lists food waste as a major contributor to Switzerland's environmental footprint — wasted food accounts for an estimated 25% of the country's food-related greenhouse gas emissions.
In cash terms: if a household of two wastes even CHF 10 of groceries per week due to premature disposal, that adds up to CHF 520 per year — nearly one month of a Migros weekly shop for that household.
Which products are most often thrown away too early?
| Product | Label type | Typical shelf life past date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yoghurt (plain) | MHD | 7–14 days | Smell and texture are reliable guides |
| Hard cheese (e.g. Emmentaler) | MHD | Weeks to months | Cut off any mould; rest is fine |
| Eggs | MHD | ~2 weeks | Float test: sinks = fresh, floats = discard |
| Dried pasta / rice | MHD | Months to years | Store dry and sealed |
| Bread (packaged) | MHD | 2–4 days | Toast it if slightly stale |
| Minced beef | Verbrauchsdatum | 0 days | Discard on the date — no exceptions |
| Raw fish (vacuum-packed) | Verbrauchsdatum | 0 days | Same rule applies |
Hard cheeses like Gruyère or Appenzeller from the deli counter at Coop or Migros often carry MHD dates set conservatively. A block of Gruyère you bought last week can easily last another two to three weeks in the fridge without any quality loss worth worrying about.
How Swiss supermarkets handle near-expiry products
All major Swiss retailers are required by law to remove products past their Verbrauchsdatum from shelves. But for MHD products, retailers have discretion — and most use it. Migros and Coop typically apply yellow discount stickers to items approaching their best-before date, reducing prices by 20–50%. Lidl and Aldi have similar markdown practices. Denner often runs promotions on short-dated goods.
Apps and platforms like Too Good To Go partner with Swiss retailers to sell near-expiry goods at reduced prices — see how Too Good To Go works in Switzerland for more on that option.
Aligro and Prodega (cash-and-carry wholesalers) are another source of discounted near-expiry stock, particularly useful for larger households or anyone batch-cooking. See batch cooking in Switzerland for how to put that to use.
Tip: Check the discount shelf first. A Naturaplan yoghurt at 50% off, one day before its MHD, tastes exactly like a full-price one.
Simple habits that reduce waste at home
The biggest gains come from organisation, not willpower. A few concrete steps:
- FIFO in the fridge: Place newer items at the back, older ones at the front. This one habit alone can halve the number of products you forget about.
- Check before you shop: A quick scan of your fridge before heading to Migros reveals what needs using this week — before it becomes waste next week. The monthly grocery audit approach scales this habit up.
- Freeze near-expiry meat and bread: Swiss law allows freezing up to the Verbrauchsdatum. A loaf of Dinkelbrothearing its MHD can go straight into the freezer and come back weeks later in perfect condition.
- Smell and taste MHD products: Your senses are remarkably reliable for most foods. Use them.
- Know your label: Write MHD = taste and VD = safety on a Post-it inside a kitchen cupboard if it helps.
Eini's meal-planning feature helps by surfacing ingredients approaching their date so you can plan meals around them — rather than discovering them at the back of the fridge on a Sunday evening.
Frequently asked questions about Swiss expiry labels
Can I eat yoghurt after the best-before date?
Yes, in most cases. Plain yoghurt typically stays safe and tastes fine for one to two weeks past the MHD if it has been stored correctly in the fridge. Open the lid, smell it, check for unusual colour or separation beyond normal whey. If it seems fine, it is fine. Flavoured or fruit yoghurts follow the same logic.
What happens if I eat food past its Verbrauchsdatum?
The risk depends on the product and how far past the date it is. Raw minced meat, fresh fish, and ready meals that contain raw protein can carry dangerous levels of bacteria — including Listeria — that are not detectable by smell alone. The Swiss BLV recommends discarding these products on the date stated, without exception.
Are Swiss supermarkets allowed to sell products past the MHD?
Legally, yes — but only if the product is still safe and clearly labelled as past its best-before date. Selling products past their Verbrauchsdatum is illegal. In practice, most retailers mark down MHD products rather than sell them unlabelled, and many donate unsold stock to organisations like Caritas or the Swiss food bank network (Schweizer Tafel).
Does the egg float test actually work?
Yes. As an egg ages, moisture evaporates through the shell and the air pocket inside grows. A fresh egg sinks and lies flat. An older-but-still-edible egg stands upright on the bottom. A floating egg should be discarded. This works independently of the MHD date and is a reliable check.
How does Eini help me reduce food waste?
Eini's grocery and meal-planning hub lets you track what is in your fridge and pantry, then suggests meals based on what needs to be used first. Our algorithm prioritises ingredients by proximity to their expiry date, so you cook what needs eating — not just what sounds good on Monday evening.
Plan smarter, spend less with Eini.
Real prices from Coop, Migros, Lidl, Aldi, Denner & Aligro. Smart meal plans. Automatic grocery lists.
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