What is BBE (THT)?
THT stands for Ten minste Houdbaar Tot (in English: Best Before End, BBE) and is an indication of the best-before date of a product. It indicates the date until which the quality and safety of a product are guaranteed, provided it has been stored correctly.
BBE = quality guarantee until a given date, not a hard safety limit.
BBE is used on food, cosmetics, medical devices and pharmaceutical products.
🧠 What does BBE mean in practice?
- Up to the BBE date the product is guaranteed to be safe, effective and of good quality
- After the BBE date, quality may deteriorate (taste, efficacy, smell, texture)
- The product is usually still safe to use, but no longer under guarantee
- BBE is therefore different from a use-by date (TGT), which is a safety limit
🧾 Example on a label
- BBE: 30-09-2025
- LOT: B2510
- Batch code: L5209A
BBE dates are also encoded in barcodes, for example in a GS1-128 with AI (17):
(17)250930 → BBE: 30 September 2025
🔗 BBE in systems
| System | Use of BBE |
|---|---|
| WMS | Manage shelf life during storage and FIFO issuing |
| LIMS | Product release based on stability tests |
| ERP | Sales and batch management with BBE registration |
| GS1-128 | Encoding in barcodes on labels or SSCC labels |
📦 Product types with BBE
- Foodstuffs (biscuits, preserves, pasta)
- Cosmetics and personal care products
- Medical devices without sterility requirements
- Pharmaceutical products (where no use-by date is required)
- Animal feed and supplements
✅ Importance of BBE
- Consumer protection and quality assurance
- Traceability for recalls and stock rotation
- Legal obligation for many products
- Part of GMP, HACCP and ISO 22000 standards
📌 In summary
THT (Best Before End) indicates how long the quality of a product is guaranteed under proper storage. It is an essential element of product safety, labelling and traceability.