I have a packet of unopened ham from Tesco. The "use by" date is 9th Jan. As it's unopened, would you risk it?
Just opened it....it smells and looks fine.
diddlydo, I agree that too much food is wasted and I would certainly use some things that have exceeded their 'dates' by a little - but smell and appearance are not an indication that food is safe. They just aren't.
Some time ago I bought some chicken thighs from Tesco which were in date by 3 days. When I opened the pack, the stench that filled the kitchen was unbelievable. Needless to say I returned them to Tesco and haven't bought chicken there since. So even "use by" dates aren't infallible which is why I prefer to use common sense.