“ 消費期限 / shōhi kigen,” which you can see on the rice ball in the left side of the photo. It’s the four characters in front of the date. It means “limit for consumption” and is equivalent to the “use by” wording on food labels in English. “Shōhi kigen” is used for highly perishable products, including bento box meals, sandwiches and cakes made with fresh whipped cream

A shōhi kigen should be taken seriously, because any product that warrants this labeling goes bad quickly after its “use by” date. The government states it this way: “Kigen ga sugitara, tabenai hōga yoi.” (“If the date has passed, it’s better not to eat it.”) Adjusting for the less forceful way of expressing things in Japanese, they’re telling you to pitch it.

(By Alice Gordenker)
Sumber: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/20.../expiry-dates/