DDM, DLC and other acronyms around the consumption date of products. How to understand them?
What is the difference between DDM and DLC?
- The DDM stands for Date de Durabilité Minimale, or minimal date of durability. This means that until this date, the manufacturer guarantees a safe and quality product. After this date, the organoleptic qualities are no longer guaranteed, which means that the visual appearance, taste or smell may change, but there is no risk for the health if the packaging is still intact. However, there is a risk that the nutritional quality of the product will decrease depending on the type of product and the period of time during which it is exceeded. For example, a DDM date will be used to ensure the crispness of a biscuit.
- The DLC stands for Date Limite de Consommation, so the ultimate date to consume the product. This means that after this date, the products might present risks for the health.
How can you recognize it on the packaging?
- For the DDM, you will find the words " “A consommer de préférence avant” followed by a date in the format "month-year" or "day-month".
- For the DLC, you will find the words "A consommer jusqu’au", always followed by a date in "day-month-year" format.
What are the benefits for the consumer?
Products with an expired DDM can still be sold, which is not the case for the DLC. This allows customers to obtain certain products with a short or outdated DDM at a price that is significantly reduced via the section "deals". For Kazidomi, it is a solution to reducing the amount of food waste as much as possible.
How to judge if a product is still good?
You can follow those 3 steps to verify by yourself if a product is still good to consume:
- Make sure that the packaging is intact and not damaged
- Look at the appearance of the product (e.g. colour changes, moisture)
- Smell the product to assess whether it still has the scent and taste it is supposed to have