Food for Thought: Clearing Up Confusion About Food Waste — and How to Reduce It
If you’re confused about what the dates on food at the grocery store mean — and what’s safe to eat and what’s not — you’re not alone.
Just how much food do Americans waste? Here’s some “food” for thought: While the world wastes about 1.4 billion tons of food every year, the United States discards more food than any other country in the world: nearly 40 million tons per year. That’s estimated to be 30%-40% of the entire U.S. food supply, equating to 219 pounds of waste per person.
This all begins in grocery store aisles. Think about it: What does “sell by,” “expires on” and “use before” really mean? And when we don’t understand, do we toss? Let’s start with these expert tips from our food safety team.
Setting Industry Standards
To address this confusion and reduce food waste, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working to standardize the use of the term “best if used by” on packaged-food labeling when the date is simply related to optimal quality — not safety. Studies have shown that this term best conveys to consumers that these products do not have to be discarded after the date if they are stored properly.
Educating Consumers
The FDA is also working alongside the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture to help educate consumers on ways to reduce food loss and waste, and how to do so safely without risking illness from consuming spoiled food.
How It Works
In the United States, manufacturers provide dating to help consumers and retailers decide when food is of the best quality. Except for infant formula, dates are not an indicator of the product’s safety and are not required by federal law. Date labels in the European Union are required for almost all products.
In addition to indicating quality and flavor, date labels can also be used for food safety, for the ripeness of a product and for those products where you cannot see the quality without opening the packaging. Use-by dates can be useful in these scenarios. To create the labels, food manufacturers undertake a series of micro and chemical tests to determine the use-by dates, considering organoleptic (taste, sight, smell and touch) properties, food safety and disease-causing germs. Suppliers undertake specific testing to ensure that food is safe for consumers and will list the date based on the results.
Self-Examine
The best approach is to examine the foods in your kitchen cabinet or fridge if they are past the best-if-used-by date. Look for color, texture, or smell changes, and determine if you want to avoid eating them.
European Labeling Specifics
The best-before date is the date by which the food retains its specific properties when properly stored. In the case of foods that may pose an immediate danger to human health, manufacturers employ the use-by date. After the use-by-date, the food should not be eaten.
Sign Up for Tips for Better Living
Stay up to date with what matters most to you and your family.
Related Posts

Foodstuffs: How To Store and Heat Leftovers Safely

Kitchen Cleaning 101: Your Ultimate Guide to Optimum Kitchen Cleaning

Keeping a Clean Home, Especially When You Share It With Your Pet

loMT: Utilize Internal Information Security Expertise to Combat Cyber Risks
Sources:
www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/confused-date-labels-packaged-foods
www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-availability-per-capita-data-system/food-loss
www.rts.com/resources/guides/food-waste-america
www.fda.gov/media/125114/download
How NSF Can Help You
Get in touch to find out how we can help you and your business thrive.

What’s New with NSF

NSF Certifies Microfilter As the World’s First Client for NSF/ANSI 53 Total PFAS Reduction
December 5, 2023
Todd Gleason Joins NSF’s Board of Directors
December 5, 2023
NSF Celebrates Double Victory at 2023 SOFHT Awards
December 5, 2023