Standardized Food Date Labels: Reducing Waste, Clarifying Safety
This act establishes uniform rules for date labeling on food packaging, helping consumers understand when a product is best for quality and when it should be discarded for safety. The goal is to reduce food waste and empower citizens to make informed decisions about their food purchases and consumption. This standardization aims to simplify food management and potentially save money for households.
Key points
Introduces two standard date labels: "BEST If Used By" for quality and "USE By" for safety.
Food companies can voluntarily include dates, but if they do, they must use the uniform phrases and date format (month/year or month/day/year).
The act prevents states and local governments from setting different date labeling requirements, ensuring national consistency.
Federal authorities will conduct consumer education to explain the meaning of the new date labels.
Incorrect date labeling will be considered a violation of food misbranding laws.
Introduced
Citizen Poll