英検準2級プラスのbest before・use by｜賞味期限・消費期限と食品ロスの独自40問【全訳】

慶英会 塾長｜慶應義塾大学卒・英検1級
中高一貫校の学校英語・NEW TREASURE・英検対策を専門とするオンライン個別指導塾です。塾長紹介

最大1か月完全無料体験・学習相談（Web）｜公式LINEで相談｜料金・無料体験の条件

英検準2級プラスの食品・環境・地域活動の長文では、best before（賞味期限）・use by（消費期限）・storage instructions（保存方法）・food waste（食品ロス）が重要です。best beforeは主に品質、use byは安全に関わる期限です。印刷された期限は通常、未開封で指定どおり保存した状態を前提にします。慶英会の独自40問（短文12問・書き換え12問・長文4題16問）で条件の違いを学び、全解答・全文和訳を確認できます。

結論｜品質・安全・保存条件を分けて読む

• best-before date：一定の条件下で期待される品質が保たれる期限。過ぎたら必ず直ちに危険という意味ではないが、安全を保証するわけではない。
• use-by date：食品安全に関わる期限。期限を過ぎた食品は食べない。
• storage instructions：適切な冷蔵など、期限表示が成り立つ前提となる保存条件。
• unopened / opened：未開封／開封済み。開封後は印刷された日付だけでは判断できず、適切に取り扱い早めに消費する。
• food waste：食品の無駄な廃棄。安全基準を無視することとは異なる。

食品の表示制度・用語は国や地域で異なる場合があります。本記事は日本の消費者庁・食品安全委員会の情報に基づく英語教材であり、個々の食品の安全判定ではありません。

英検準2級プラスの公式試験内容

英検協会が示す準2級プラスReadingには、短文語句空所補充17問、長文語句空所補充6問、長文内容一致8問があり、自然・環境なども題材です。公式試験内容。以下は慶英会の独自演習で、公式過去問ではありません。

Part 1｜食品表示の語彙12問

空欄を指定語で完成させ、品質と安全、未開封と保存条件を確認してください。

問1

A ‘use-by’ date mainly concerns food ___.

問2

A ‘best-before’ date mainly relates to expected food ___.

問3

Most printed dates assume the package is ___.

問4

The package says ‘keep refrigerated.’ This is a storage ___.

問5

Food may not be safe even when its ___ seems normal.

問6

The students noted the expiration ___ on each emergency supply box.

問7

A safety-related use-by date is not simply advice about food ___.

問8

Once food is opened, the printed ___ alone may not be sufficient.

問9

Passing a best-before date does not automatically prove food is ___.

問10

The volunteers checked the instructions on each product ___.

問11

The charity accepted items that met its donation ___.

問12

The class discussed how to reduce food ___ while respecting safety.

Part 2｜内容を保つ書き換え12問

指定語を使い、mayをalwaysに強めたり、best-beforeとuse-byを取り違えたりしない英文に直します。模範解答は一例です。

問13

The date is about food safety. Use ‘use-by’.

問14

The date is about expected quality. Use ‘best-before’.

問15

Food dates assume packaging has not been opened. Use ‘unopened’.

問16

The package tells you how to keep the food. Use ‘storage instructions’.

問17

Do not eat food after a safety date. Use ‘use-by’.

問18

A quality date passing does not itself prove danger. Use ‘best-before’.

問19

Keep food as the label directs. Use ‘stored’.

問20

The opened package cannot be judged by its date alone. Use ‘opened’.

問21

The group read the information printed on each food item. Use ‘label’.

問22

The organization wanted less unnecessary food disposal. Use ‘food waste’.

問23

They checked dates and required temperatures. Use ‘storage’.

問24

Only suitable donations were accepted. Use ‘donation rules’.

Part 3｜学校・寄付・防災・食品ロスの独自4長文16問

保存履歴、団体の受入条件、開封状況など、日付以外の制約が本文にあるか確認してください。

長文1｜学校の食品表示授業

Reading passage（慶英会オリジナル）

A school English class studied the words on food labels. The teacher used photographs of unopened packages rather than asking students to taste food. Some labels showed best-before dates, while others showed use-by dates. The class learned that best-before refers mainly to expected quality when food is stored correctly. It does not mean that every item becomes dangerous the following morning. Use-by, however, concerns food safety, so people should not eat food after that date. The teacher added that both kinds of label normally assume unopened packaging and correct storage. One student argued that food must be safe whenever it looks and smells normal. The teacher explained that appearance and smell alone cannot guarantee safety. At the end of the lesson, the students made a table comparing the two dates and the storage conditions printed on the packages.

問25. What did the teacher show?

A. Food for tasting ／ B. Photographs of unopened packages ／ C. A train map ／ D. A shopping receipt

問26. What does best-before mainly concern?

A. A fixed selling price ／ B. An automatic danger warning ／ C. Expected food quality ／ D. A package’s size

問27. What should people not eat after its stated date?

A. Food past a use-by date ／ B. All unopened dry food ／ C. Any item with a best-before date ／ D. Food with readable labels

問28. Why was relying on appearance rejected?

A. No labels were shown ／ B. The school canceled the class ／ C. All packages were damaged ／ D. Looks and smell alone cannot guarantee safety

長文2｜地域の食品寄付と受入基準

Reading passage（慶英会オリジナル）

A community charity collected packaged food for families needing support. Volunteers read product labels and checked whether storage instructions had been followed. The charity published a list of unopened products it could accept and asked donors to follow its rules. It would not accept food past its use-by date. It also rejected packages that had been opened or stored incorrectly, even if the printed dates had not passed. Some families thought best-before and use-by meant exactly the same thing. Volunteers explained that one relates primarily to quality and the other to safety. A visitor suggested distributing every donated item immediately to avoid waste. The manager refused because the organization still had to check whether each item met its safety and donation requirements. Volunteers made a checklist of dates, packaging and storage information before organizing accepted goods.

問29. What did volunteers check?

A. Bus schedules ／ B. Labels and storage instructions ／ C. School grades ／ D. Museum tickets

問30. Which item would be refused?

A. A properly stored approved item ／ B. A sealed item meeting all rules ／ C. Food past a use-by date ／ D. An approved item with a label

問31. Why could an item within its date still be rejected?

A. It had been opened or incorrectly stored ／ B. The charity accepted only books ／ C. All food was banned ／ D. No one knew the date

問32. What did volunteers use to organize accepted goods?

A. A school exam ／ B. A bus pass ／ C. An online contest ／ D. A checklist of dates, packaging and storage

長文3｜防災備蓄の点検

Reading passage（慶英会オリジナル）

A town community center stores emergency food and water. Every few months, staff review the inventory. They check the dates on packages and compare the actual storage conditions with the manufacturers’ instructions. The manager explains that best-before dates concern quality, but that does not mean every item past its date is automatically suitable for distribution. Each item must also satisfy the center’s safety policy. During one review, volunteers discovered a box that had been left in a very warm room. Its printed date had not yet passed, but staff set it aside for further assessment because storage might have been unsuitable. Other boxes that had been stored correctly remained on the approved list. The center planned to improve its temperature records and replace supplies in a timely way. It did not announce that every package with an unexpired date was safe without additional checks.

問33. How often was inventory reviewed?

A. Daily ／ B. Every few months ／ C. Every ten years ／ D. Only after an emergency

問34. What was checked besides dates?

A. Visitors’ names ／ B. The class timetable ／ C. Actual storage conditions ／ D. Bus prices

問35. Why was one box set aside?

A. It had been kept in a very warm room ／ B. It was a different color ／ C. The label was in English ／ D. All water had been used

問36. What did the center plan to improve?

A. School exams ／ B. Museum photographs ／ C. The bus route ／ D. Temperature records and supply rotation

長文4｜図書館の食品ロス講演

Reading passage（慶英会オリジナル）

A library invited a food-education speaker to explain date labels. She said that knowing the difference between best-before and use-by can help reduce unnecessary food waste without ignoring safety. Best-before concerns expected quality, while use-by concerns safety. The speaker emphasized that printed dates normally assume unopened packaging and appropriate storage. Food past a use-by date should not be eaten. After a best-before date, the condition of a product may vary, so no one should assume every item is safe in every situation. A visitor asked if the printed date alone was enough when food had already been opened. The speaker said no: opening and storage change how the product should be handled. The library published a summary warning readers not to turn a statement about quality into an unconditional promise about food safety.

問37. What was the talk mainly about?

A. A music festival ／ B. Food date labels and waste ／ C. A train schedule ／ D. School uniforms

問38. What conditions do printed dates normally assume?

A. An opened package ／ B. Any storage temperature ／ C. Unopened packaging and appropriate storage ／ D. Food that has already been cooked

問39. What food should not be eaten after the stated date?

A. Food past a use-by date ／ B. All canned food ／ C. Any food with a label ／ D. Food with a best-before date on it

問40. Is the date alone enough for food already opened?

A. Yes, always ／ B. Only for large packages ／ C. Only for expensive food ／ D. No

復習｜安全について書かれた条件を見落とさない

• best-beforeは品質、use-byは安全に関する表示と区別する。
• 期限表示が通常未開封・指定の保存条件を前提とすることを確認する。
• use-byを過ぎた食品は食べないことと、best-beforeが過ぎても直ちに危険と決まるわけではないことを区別する。
• 長文でmight / may / not automaticallyを無条件の保証に読み替えない。
• 翌日と一週間後に4長文を再解答し、正解の本文根拠を示す。

FAQ

best beforeとuse byの違いは？

best beforeは期待される品質、use byは食品安全に関わる期限です。実際の食品では各国・地域の表示と保存条件を確認してください。

賞味期限を過ぎた食品は必ず安全ですか？

いいえ。過ぎた直後に危険と決まるわけではありませんが、いつも安全という保証でもありません。保存状態・開封の有無と適用される安全情報を確認してください。

開封した食品は印刷期限内なら大丈夫ですか？

期限表示は通常未開封の前提です。開封後は表示期限にかかわらず適切に取り扱い、早めに消費する必要があります。

関連する慶英会の無料教材

次の学習へ：分野ごとの無料教材は英検準2級プラス英単語・熟語・長文の教材一覧から選べます。苦手なテーマに戻って復習したり、別の独自40問に進んだりできます。

• reduce・reuse・recycle・repair｜環境・3Rの独自40問
• within・no later than・at least｜期限の独自40問

英検準2級プラスの食品・環境の長文とNEW TREASUREの学校英語を一緒に強化する場合は、慶英会の最大1か月無料体験・学習相談をご確認ください。本教材は無料・申込不要です。

公式情報：日本英語検定協会「準2級プラスの試験内容」、消費者庁「食品の期限表示に関する情報」、食品安全委員会「期限表示の用語解説」。例文・設問・全解答・和訳は慶英会が独自制作しました。

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慶英会 塾長｜慶應義塾大学卒・英検1級。中高一貫校の学校英語・NEW TREASURE・英検対策を専門としています。塾長の経歴・指導方針を確認する