What is THT?
THT (Ten minste Houdbaar Tot, Dutch for “best before”) is the date until which a prepacked product, when stored correctly, retains its specific properties such as taste, smell, colour and texture. It is a quality date, not a safety limit: after the THT date a product is usually still perfectly usable, but the manufacturer no longer guarantees its quality. For perishable products that pose a health risk after the date, a different date applies: the TGT (Te Gebruiken Tot), known in English as the use-by date.
THT = a quality guarantee up to a given date, not a hard safety limit.
In the production and logistics chain, the THT is more than text on a label. It is calculated in the ERP, printed and checked on the packaging line, encoded in barcodes such as GS1-128 and DataMatrix, and used in the WMS to ship stock in the right order.
🧠 What does THT mean legally?
In the European Union, the best before date is laid down in Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers. There it is called the date of minimum durability: the date until which a food retains its specific properties when properly stored. In the Netherlands, compliance is supervised by the NVWA, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority.
- Quality, not safety - the THT says something about the properties of the product, not about an acute health risk
- Storage conditions belong with it - where durability depends on temperature or light, the storage instructions must accompany the date (“keep refrigerated after opening”)
- Selling after the THT is allowed - according to the NVWA, a product may still be sold after its THT date, but the seller then bears responsibility for its quality
- Selling after the TGT is not allowed - a product past its use-by date is deemed unsafe and may no longer be sold
A seller who gives a product a new date after the THT has passed takes over the manufacturer’s responsibility and must be able to justify that new date with a risk analysis.
🔄 What is the difference between THT, TGT and an expiry date?
The three dates are often confused, although legally and logistically they mean different things. Their GS1 encoding differs too.
| Date | Meaning | After the date | Typical products | GS1 AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THT (best before) | Quality guaranteed until this date | Sale allowed, seller responsible | Pasta, canned food, biscuits, soft drinks | (15) |
| TGT (use by) | Safety limit for microbiologically highly perishable food | Do not sell or consume | Fresh meat, fish, fresh dairy | (17) |
| Expiry date (EXP) | Last date of use for a medicine or medical device | Do not use | Medicines, sterile devices | (17) |
| Sell by | Internal date for the shop | Remove from the shelf | Retail-specific | (16) |
Medicines and medical devices therefore do not use a best before date but an expiry date: the EU medicines directive 2001/83/EC and the MDR (Regulation (EU) 2017/745) require, where applicable, a last date of use. On medical devices it appears alongside the UDI.
🧾 How must a THT appear on the label?
Annex X of Regulation 1169/2011 sets the format. The date is given uncoded, in the order day, month and possibly year, preceded by “Best before …” when the day is included and “Best before end …” in other cases. In Dutch these wordings are “Ten minste houdbaar tot …” and “Ten minste houdbaar tot einde …“. How much detail is needed depends on durability:
| Durability of the product | Minimum to state | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 3 months | Day and month | Best before 30-09 |
| More than 3 and up to 18 months | Month and year | Best before end 09-2027 |
| More than 18 months | Year | Best before end 2028 |
Not every food needs a best before date. Exemptions include fresh, unpeeled fruit and vegetables, wine, beverages containing 10% or more alcohol by volume, bakers’ wares normally consumed within 24 hours, vinegar, cooking salt, solid sugar, confectionery consisting almost solely of flavoured or coloured sugars, and chewing gum.
A typical label combines the THT with traceability data:
- THT: 30-09-2027
- LOT: B2510
- Production code: L5209A
🔧 How is THT encoded in barcodes?
In the GS1 standard, the best before date is recorded with Application Identifier (15), in the format YYMMDD. The code (15)270930 therefore means best before 30 September 2027. When only month and year matter, the day is encoded as 00; according to the GS1 specifications this means the last day of that month. So (15)270900 stands for 30 September 2027.
A complete string on a trade item looks like this:
(01)08712345678906(15)270930(10)B2510
Here (01) is the GTIN, (15) the best before date and (10) the batch number. On pallets, the same information appears together with the SSCC on a GS1-128 label. Increasingly, the date is also included in a 2D code such as a DataMatrix or a QR code using GS1 Digital Link, so the checkout can recognise an out-of-date product. A known pitfall is using AI (17) for a THT: the WMS then treats a quality date as a hard expiry date.
🏭 How do production and logistics systems use THT?
| System | Role of the THT |
|---|---|
| ERP | Calculates the THT per item (production date plus shelf-life period) and checks remaining shelf life on sales orders |
| MES | Sends the date to the printer on the packaging line and records it per batch |
| Vision | Uses a camera to check that the THT is printed legibly and correctly on every pack |
| WMS | Ships according to FEFO (first expired, first out) and blocks stock with insufficient remaining shelf life |
| LIMS | Records the results of the shelf-life studies the period is based on |
| QMS | Tracks deviations, complaints and recalls in which the THT plays a role |
In inventory management, companies often work with a minimum remaining shelf life at delivery alongside the THT: retailers accept a lot only if an agreed share of its shelf life is still left. The WMS then selects not the oldest lot but the best matching lot per customer.
🛠️ How do you set up THT management in practice?
- Determine shelf life on evidence - through shelf-life studies (microbiological, chemical and sensory) under realistic storage conditions, recorded in the LIMS. The HACCP plan and ISO 22000 require that justification.
- Store the period as master data - per item in the ERP, including the date type (THT or TGT) and the date format according to Annex X.
- Automate the date calculation - let the MES derive the THT from the production date, so operators never type dates by hand.
- Check inline - a vision system or verification scanner immediately rejects packs with a missing or wrong date.
- Choose the right GS1 AI - (15) for best before, (17) for use-by and expiry dates; test the encoding with a scanner before the line runs.
- Link it to traceability - combine the THT with the batch number, so that in a recall you know exactly which lots are where through tracking and tracing.
This ties in with GMP principles and the requirements for data integrity: the THT on the product must always match the recorded batch data.
📦 Which products use THT?
- Food - shelf-stable products such as pasta, rice, canned food, biscuits and beverages
- Cosmetics - under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, products with a durability of 30 months or less state a date of minimum durability, often with an hourglass symbol; products that keep longer show an open-jar symbol with the period after opening
- Animal feed and food supplements - with their own minimum durability under the feed rules or the food rules
- Not medicines and medical devices - an expiry date applies there
❓ Frequently asked questions
Is a product still safe after its THT date?
A product past its THT date is usually still safe, because the THT is a quality date rather than a safety limit. Taste, smell or texture may deteriorate, however. A TGT (use-by) date is different: after that date the product is deemed unsafe.
May a shop sell products after the THT?
In the Netherlands, a shop may sell products after their THT date as long as the product is still in good condition. The seller is then responsible for its quality. Products past their TGT (use-by) date may no longer be sold.
Which GS1 Application Identifier belongs to the THT?
The THT, or best before date, is encoded in GS1 barcodes with Application Identifier (15) in the format YYMMDD. AI (17) is intended for the use-by or expiry date. Using the wrong AI gives the WMS the wrong picking sequence.
What does “best before end 2027” mean?
“Best before end 2027” means the product retains its quality up to and including 31 December 2027. Under EU rules, stating only the year is allowed for products that keep for more than 18 months. For a durability of 3 to 18 months, month and year are sufficient.
Do medicines have a THT?
Medicines do not have a THT but an expiry date, often marked EXP. After the expiry date, the efficacy and safety of the medicine are no longer guaranteed. In GS1 encoding, the expiry date belongs to AI (17).
How is the THT period determined?
The manufacturer determines the THT period through shelf-life studies under realistic storage conditions, monitoring taste, texture, microbiology and chemical stability. The result is recorded per item and used in the ERP to calculate the date. When the recipe or packaging changes, the period must be justified again.
📌 In summary
THT (ten minste houdbaar tot) indicates until when a product retains its quality under proper storage; it is a quality date, not a safety limit like the TGT or use-by date. The format on the label follows Regulation 1169/2011, in barcodes the THT belongs to GS1 AI (15), and ERP, MES, WMS and LIMS use it for production, FEFO shipping and traceability.