Food Date Labeling Pt 1

From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. There are currently no federal regulations related to date labels on food products, but that could change after the reintroduction of the bipartisan Food Date Labeling Act, designed to reduce consumer confusion on when something is safe to eat.

U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse is one of the sponsors …

NEWHOUSE … “And really the goal is to end consumer confusion around what all of the food date labeling versions there are out there in the marketplace. There’s not a standardized label so people don’t know for sure what those dates necessarily mean.”

The Sunnyside Republican says a standardized labeling system could help …

NEWHOUSE … “And the reason we need to do this, one of the just startling statistics that I’ve learned over the last couple of years is that it’s estimated that 40% of food is wasted in the United States.”

Confusion, Newhouse says is the key ...

NEWHOUSE … “Much of that is because people see a “Best By” date, or a “Good Until” date on a food item in the refrigerator and it’s gone by that date, out of caution, throw it away when it could be perfectly good.”

Tune in tomorrow for more on the Food Date Labeling Act and why we should standardize our food labeling to reduce consumer confusion.