The Truth About Food Date Labels

Are you throwing money into the trash? Most likely, yes. And this time it's because of an education gap in food date labeling. As discussed previously, we waste 30% of food at the consumption level. ReFED and the Congressional Research Service (CRS) reported that food waste due to date labeling confusion contributes an estimated 7% of all food waste in the US. Soaring food prices mean that food we collectively discard because of lack of understanding is costing us billions of dollars. It also means a lot of usable food rots day after day in landfills causing methane emissions far more potent (28 times) than CO₂.

What is Food Date Labeling?

Food date label is a calendar date that is intended to convey the shelf life and quality of the product. So far, aside from infant formula, there are no federal food safety agencies that implement food dating. We see different kinds of labels like: "Use By", "Best By", "Sell By", "Freeze By", "Fresh Until", "Expires on", "Best if used Before", "Enjoy before", "Use or Freeze by"... This confuses the consumer, more so in risk averse groups, leading to discarding food solely based on a date without understanding what it actually means. To add to the confusion, US states also differ in whether and how they regulate food date labelling. Gathering information from CRS, Institute of Food Technologists and Consumer Food insights survey from Purdue University, here's what we have to learn:

* Sell By *
Determined by the manufacturer, it's the date by which food at retail should be sold unless it was frozen before that. About one third of the product's shelf life remains after the sell by date for consumers to use at home.

* Best By *
Date by which a product should be consumed for ideal quality.

* Expires on *
Date determined by the product manufacturer by which the product should be consumed.

How can I minimize food waste here?

Reducing purchased food waste lies solely in our hands. In 2023, the Food Date Labeling Act was introduced in the Senate to reduce losses worth billions of US dollars. However, with or without it's enactment, consumer education is still needed. According to the same Consumer Food Insights survey, majority consumers believe the "Best by" and "Sell by" dates refer to food safety. Let's understand this better and learn how perishables and shelf stable products are to be dealt with.

Perishables have easy visual and odor cues. Did you know that people who have healthier diets rich in fruit and vegetables produce more waste? This is because produce can spoil easily. Produce requires visual inspection for spoilage. Dairy and eggs can generally be kept refrigerated and used for several days after the printed date! Freezing most perishable foods before the posted date helps to keep them safe. It's important to visually check, sniff or if possible take a little taste of the food to determine spoilage.

Shelf stable products refer to packaged/canned and dry foods like cereal, biscuits, dry pasta shells, crisps that usually last for months longer than the printed date! It's important to first visually check the content of the container or a try a little bite before tossing out food prematurely. Another aspect to consider with shelf products is the packaging itself that can begin to compromise food inside. For example, it's best to avoid purchasing foods especially liquid and fatty ones stored for too long in plastic/lined with plastic for both health and environmental reasons.

* “Best by” & “Sell by” dates are meant to be used as references to know peak food quality rather than as a food safety indicator.

* "Expires on" could be a food safety indicator. Use visual cues, odor and texture along with the printed date to determine whether the food is safe to consume or not.

* Food spoilage occurs much faster when fresh produce or any food is not stored or handled properly at home. Follow instructions to appropriately handle purchased food. The refrigerator should be at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F or below.

Next time you are about to toss out a food product, stop to check whether it is indeed inedible. It's important to purchase only the quantity we need and are sure to use. Throwing away food is equivalent to throwing money used to buy it and resources used to produce it. Don't let confusion lead to expensive waste! By understanding food labels, we can save money, reduce waste, and make a positive impact on our world.