The federal government generally stays away from the realm of date labels, such as “Sell by” or “Use by,” on packaged food, except for infant formula. The Government Accountability Office, a congressional agency, recommended on Monday that the USDA and FDA collaborate with state and local governments for greater consumer understanding of date labels as a way to reduce food waste.
Nearly one-third of U.S. food production is lost or wasted each year, including food that is discarded before it is eaten. “Studies have indicated that some of this lost or wasted food is attributable to consumer and retailer confusion over the meaning of date labels displayed on packaged food,” said the GAO in a report requested by Democratic Reps. Chellie Pingree of Maine and Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut.
States regulate date labels on some foods, noted the GAO, while the USDA and FDA take the lead in educating consumers about date labels. It recommended USDA and FDA “develop a mechanism to facilitate coordination with relevant nonfederal stakeholders on actions related to date labels.” With such coordination, “USDA and FDA could better assure that approaches they take to address consumer understanding of date labels are effective in helping to reduce consumer confusion,” said the GAO.
“Until we have a federal law that actually standardizes date labeling across all markets, we will not see a significant reduction in consumer confusion” or in the greenhouse gas emissions that arise from food waste, said Pingree, sponsor of a bill for uniformity in date labels. “All stakeholders—local, state, federal, or private sector—must work collaboratively to set and enforce clear labeling standards to reduce food waste.”
The GAO report, “Date labels on packaged foods,” is available here.