Date labels on food can be confusing, but they’re meant to inform retailers and customers of food safety. Unfortunately, the mess of terms fails to do so.
The “sell by” date is the date that food should be sold by to ensure shelf life for customers; the “expiration date” is when food is unfit for consumption; “use by” is the last date recommended for consumption at peak quality, and “best before” means that the food is still edible after the date, but may not be at peak freshness anymore. There are also the “best if enjoyed by,” “freeze by,” and “best if used by.” To add to the confusion, all these terms can vary state-to-state because of the lack of a universally accepted system for dating food. One state’s expiration date could be another state’s “best by” date, and some states don’t even require food dating. Harvard Law and NRDC found that the lack of consistency is part of the billions of pounds of edible food thrown away and wasted annually.
Dana Gunders, NRDC staff scientist with the food and agriculture program, calls for a makeover of the food date system. It is time to revise the language and create a uniform policy across the United States. Policy changes would make the food dating system easier to understand and more clear about food safety.
“Forty percent of the food we produce in this country never gets eaten. That’s nearly half our food, wasted…worth $165 billion annually — gets tossed in the trash instead feeding someone who’s hungry.” Dana Gunders explains, “Phrases like ‘sell by’, ’use by’, and ‘best before’ are poorly regulated, misinterpreted and leading to a false confidence in food safety. It is time for a well-intended but wildly ineffective food date labeling system to get a makeover.”
Read the original Dating Game post. See this refrigerator infographic for more information on how to best store perishables. (What is that humidity drawer for, anyway?)