Use by? Sell by? New food labels aim to make it easier to know
The litany of labels telling you when your food spoils can be wildly confusing.
Does "best if used by" mean you can't eat it past that date or you'll get sick? Same question for "better if used by" and "sell by." There are more than 10 different variations of expiration date phrasing. People often play it safe and toss food early.
Rest easy, shoppers, things may get simpler, and food could be saved in the process.
Two food industry groups, the Food Marketing Institute and the Grocery Manufacturers Association, push grocers and foodmakers across the industry to limit food expiration labels to two terms: "Best if used by" and "use by." The effort has the backing of Walmart, Dean Foods and Wakefern Food, which operates more than 250 ShopRite stores in six states. Harvard Law School's Food Law and Policy Clinic also stands by the idea.
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"Best if used by," the groups said, will apply mostly to non-perishable foods. The groups define the term as describing product quality, where the product may not taste as good as it would if it were fresher but is still safe to eat or drink. The "use by" date will apply for perishable foods such as meat, fish and cheese on which safety comes into play. Foods with an expiration date should be consumed by the date listed on the package or thrown away.
"We want to encourage a consistent vocabulary so that our customers clearly understand that they are purchasing products that are of the highest quality and safety possible," said the institute's CEO, Leslie G. Sarasin.
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The initiative is voluntary, but GMA and FMI want grocers and foodmakers to start phasing the terms in immediately. Their aim is "widespread adoption" by summer 2018.
Apart from clarity, the effort hopes to save food. Clearing up confusing food labels, the groups said, could reduce national food waste by about 8%. A report in 2013 by the Natural Resources Defense Council and Harvard University found Americans throw out billions of pounds of food yearly because of the myriad expiration date labels. The study said more than 90% of Americans may ditch food too early because they "misinterpret food labels."
Jack Jeffers, vice president of quality at Dean Foods, called the change to simpler terms a win for consumers and the environment.
"It means more products will be used instead of thrown away in error, " he said. "It's much better that these products stay in the kitchen — and out of landfills."
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