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Best before date format in Canada: bilingual month codes

How to write a best before date on a Canadian food label: year first only if needed, a two-letter bilingual month code such as JN or OC, then the day.

Short answer

  • Canadian foods with a durable life of 90 days or less need a best before date, written "best before / meilleur avant".
  • Order is year, month, day. The year goes first only when needed for clarity, using at least its last two digits.
  • The month uses a bilingual code: JA FE MR AL MA JN JL AU SE OC NO DE. The day is written in numbers.
  • Foods packaged where they are sold at retail can use "packaged on / empaqueté le" plus durable life information instead.
  • General information, not legal advice; check CFIA's Industry Labelling Tool.
In this guide (12 sections)
  1. When is a best before date required in Canada?
  2. The bilingual month codes
  3. How to write the date, step by step
  4. Worked examples
  5. Packaged on dates for retail packers
  6. Where can the date go on the package?
  7. Storage instructions
  8. Which foods are exempt from date marking?
  9. Expiration, use by and other dates
  10. Common best before mistakes
  11. Related guides
  12. What to check before you act

In Canada, a best before date is written as the words "best before / meilleur avant", then the year (only if needed for clarity), then the month as a two-letter bilingual code, then the day in numbers. A date of June 28 becomes "JN 28". It is required on prepackaged foods with a durable life of 90 days or less.

This is general information, not legal advice. The rules below come from CFIA's date markings page (modified June 22, 2023, checked October 23, 2026). For your product, confirm in CFIA's Industry Labelling Tool.

When is a best before date required in Canada?

CFIA requires date markings on prepackaged foods with a durable life of 90 days or less. Durable life is, in plain terms, how long the packaged food keeps its quality, and CFIA says the business decides it for each product.

What you put on the label depends on where the food is packaged:

Situation What the label needs
Packaged away from the store (for example in your kitchen or a co-packer) "Best before / meilleur avant" date, plus storage instructions if it can't be kept at normal room temperature
Packaged on retail premises where it is sold Either a "packaged on / empaqueté le" date with durable life information on the label or a nearby poster, or a best before date
Durable life over 90 days No date required; if you add one, it must use the prescribed format

The bilingual month codes

CFIA lists one code per month and calls them bilingual symbols, so one code serves both languages.

Month (English / French) Code
January / janvier JA
February / février FE
March / mars MR
April / avril AL
May / mai MA
June / juin JN
July / juillet JL
August / août AU
September / septembre SE
October / octobre OC
November / novembre NO
December / décembre DE

Watch the near misses: MA is May, not March (MR). AL is April, not AP or AV. JN is June and JL is July.

How to write the date, step by step

  1. Write the words "best before" and "meilleur avant". CFIA says the words should be grouped with the date unless a clear explanation of the date appears elsewhere on the label.
  2. If needed for clarity, write the year first, using at least the last two digits.
  3. Write the month code.
  4. Write the day as a number.

CFIA's page doesn't define exactly when the year is "needed for clarity". Many labels include it when the date is far off or near the turn of a year, so readers don't guess.

Worked examples

Assume a product made on October 23, 2026. The durable lives below are invented to show the arithmetic, not advice on how long any food keeps.

Durable life you set Date to print Without year With year
14 days November 6, 2026 NO 06 26 NO 06
30 days November 22, 2026 NO 22 26 NO 22
60 days December 22, 2026 DE 22 26 DE 22
90 days January 21, 2027 JA 21 27 JA 21

The 90-day row is where the year earns its place: "JA 21" printed in October could leave a shopper unsure which January you mean, while "27 JA 21" is clear. A full line on the label might read:

Best before / Meilleur avant: 27 JA 21

We did not see a rule on CFIA's page about leading zeros for single-digit days. Whichever style you use, keep the year-month-day order and use it consistently.

Packaged on dates for retail packers

If you portion food in the store where it is sold, such as a deli or a bakery counter, CFIA lets you use "packaged on / empaqueté le" with the packaging date instead. You then show durable life information, either on the label or on a poster near the food. A retail poster may be in one language if the label's mandatory information is bilingual.

The date format is the same: year if needed, month code, day.

Where can the date go on the package?

  • A best before date may go on the bottom of the container if the label says where to find it, for example a short bilingual note on the front pointing to the date on the bottom.
  • A packaged on date cannot go on the bottom.
  • Dates and storage instructions cannot be grouped with the ingredient list.
  • All date information must be readily discernible.

That bottom-of-jar option is useful for small makers who print one front label in bulk and add the date by stamp or small sticker. A small return address size sticker is a common way to do it; see return address label sizes for sheet layouts.

Storage instructions

Storage instructions are required only when the food must be kept somewhere other than normal room temperature. CFIA accepts any clear wording, such as "Keep refrigerated". On a consumer package it must be in both languages unless the food is exempt from bilingual labeling, for example "Keep refrigerated / Garder réfrigéré".

Which foods are exempt from date marking?

CFIA's page lists these exemptions:

  • prepackaged fresh fruits and vegetables, including chopped or shredded;
  • individual restaurant, airline or similar portions for immediate consumption;
  • individual servings from a commissary sold in vending machines or mobile canteens;
  • prepackaged donuts.

Expiration, use by and other dates

  • Expiration date: required only on formulated liquid diets, very low-energy diet foods, meal replacements, nutritional supplements, infant formula and human milk fortifiers.
  • Use by: allowed only on prepackaged fresh yeast, in place of best before.
  • Freeze by: acceptable alongside a best before date with a clear statement that the food can be frozen until that date.
  • Prepared on or manufactured on: allowed if not misleading. If the date serves the same purpose as durable life information, it must follow the prescribed format.

Common best before mistakes

  • Writing the date day-first, as in "22/12/26", which CFIA's year-month-day order does not follow.
  • Using English month abbreviations such as "DEC" or "APR" instead of the bilingual codes DE and AL.
  • Printing "best before" in English only on a label that must be bilingual.
  • Putting a packaged on date on the bottom of the package, which CFIA does not allow.
  • Grouping the date with the ingredient list.

What to check before you act

  • Decide and document your product's durable life; CFIA leaves that to the business.
  • Double-check the month code, especially MA (May) versus MR (March).
  • Keep "best before / meilleur avant" grouped with the date, or say on the label where the date is.
  • Make sure storage instructions are bilingual if your label must be.
  • Confirm your case in CFIA's Industry Labelling Tool; this page is not legal advice.

Questions people ask

What is the date format for best before in Canada?

CFIA's format is year (only if needed for clarity), then the month as a bilingual two-letter code, then the day in numbers. For example, a June 28 date reads JN 28 after the words best before / meilleur avant.

What are the bilingual month codes on Canadian food labels?

JA, FE, MR, AL, MA, JN, JL, AU, SE, OC, NO and DE, for January through December. They are listed on CFIA's date markings page.

Does every food in Canada need a best before date?

No. CFIA requires date markings on prepackaged foods with a durable life of 90 days or less. Longer-lasting foods don't need one, but if you show one it must follow the prescribed format.

Can the best before date go on the bottom of the package?

Yes, CFIA allows a durable life date on the bottom if the label says where to find it. A packaged on date cannot go on the bottom.

Who decides how long the durable life is?

The business does. CFIA says regulated parties determine each product's durable life.

Is use by allowed in Canada?

CFIA permits use by only on prepackaged fresh yeast, in place of best before. Expiration dates apply to specific products such as infant formula and meal replacements.

General information only, not legal or regulatory advice. Template details and rules change; confirm on the maker's or regulator's own page before you print a large run. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Sources

  1. Date markings and storage instructions (Canadian Food Inspection Agency)checked October 23, 2026
  2. Food labelling requirements checklist (Canadian Food Inspection Agency)checked October 23, 2026
  3. Bilingual food labelling (Canadian Food Inspection Agency)checked October 23, 2026
  4. Industry Labelling Tool (Canadian Food Inspection Agency)checked October 23, 2026

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