When you pick up items at the grocery store, they’re stamped with “sell by” dates, “use by” dates, “best if used by” dates, “freeze by” dates, and sometimes even “enjoy by” dates. There are so many different dates that you might start thinking you’re looking for love on Tinder or on eHarmony, rather than standing in the dairy aisle.

What do they all mean? Will you get food poisoning if you dare to pour some cream into your coffee the morning after it supposedly expired? Should you worry if the tomato soup you just dunked your grilled cheese sandwich into would have been best last week rather than at today’s lunch?

If you’re confused, wondering if your groceries are safe to consume, there’s always one sure way to protect yourself: When in doubt, throw it out.

But what if you could reduce some of that doubt, as well as the amount of food and money you waste because of it? What if you found out that all those “sell by,” “use by,” and other dates that have been ruling your life are actually only recommendations?

“Most consumers don’t realize that [the date stamps are] really more about food quality than food safety,” said Robert Gravani, a professor of food science at Cornell University, in an October interview with Consumer Reports.

The stamps are meant to address potential loss of flavor, color, crispness, and other attributes related to enjoyment, rather than imposing deadlines after which food will degrade to the point of being hazardous. Only dates on baby formula are federally regulated and essential to follow with strict attention.

Here are some explanations of what the various terms mean:

“Sell by” is a guide for stores, o ering suggestions for how long to display items. Products are still good once that date passes.

“Best by” is an estimate of when the food will start to lose some of its appeal. Crackers, for example, might be less crisp after that date. “Use by” is essentially the same.

“Freeze by” is a reminder to preserve the food right away, at its freshest, not a few days past that prime

So, if the milk you pour on your cereal has a “sell by” date from three days earlier, there’s no need to throw it out; it should still be good for up to one week past the stamped date. Stores might want to offer something fresher, but the milk you’ve bought is undoubtedly perfectly fine.

There are some common sense procedures to follow when dealing with perishable foods, to maximize safety.

If that milk you pour onto your cereal smells bad or is starting to resemble cottage cheese, it’s time to get rid of it. Likewise, dispose of anything growing mold or that looks a bit green around the gills, and any cans that are starting to bulge or leak.

It’s imperative that consumers take responsibility for the safety of their food by making sure that items get refrigerated at a maximum of 41 degrees, or frozen as quickly as possible, after being purchased. And remember, too, that the countdown is expedited as soon as you open an item; it will become less-than-ideal more quickly once it’s been exposed to air or its protective seal is broken.

For more information, here are some resources to help you sort through any confusion about food safety and quality:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Outreach and Information Center can be reached at 1-888-SAFEFOOD (1-888-723-3366). For questions about meat and poultry specifically, call the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854). Both are accessible Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The USDA FoodKeeper app is available at the iTunes store (apple.com/​itunes) or at Google Play (play.google.com/​store). This enables users to look up grocery storage advice; receive notifications that perishable items might be close to expiring, based upon date of purchase; and even submit questions to the Ask Karen 24/​7 virtual representative.

The Ohio State University Extension offers a chart of recommended storage time frames for refrigerated foods at ohioline.osu.edu/​factsheet/​HYG-5403.

The site eatbydate.com lets consumers look up specific storage and safety information for a wide variety of items ranging from milks (dairy and others) to sunflowers seeds and lots of other everyday ingredients.

The U.S. government estimates that in 2011, a family of four in this country wasted as much as $1,600 worth of groceries because of confusion over “sell by,” “use by,” and all the other dates stamped onto food packages. But there’s no reason to fear these dates or to fear your food.

The truth is, a stamped date is just a gentle nudge rather than a dire warning.

Now, go eat something and enjoy it without worrying so much.

Contact Mary Bilyeu at mbilyeu@theblade.com or 419-724-6155 or on Twitter @foodfloozie.

First Published February 15, 2016, 5:00 a.m.