Food Date Labeling Pt 2

From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. Creating a standardized labeling system for food products is the intent of the recently reintroduced Food Date Labeling Act, a bipartisan bill to reduce the amount of food we waste.

Representative Dan Newhouse is one of the sponsors, and he says having a label that was the same on all products would make it easier for us all to understand when the food in our refrigerator is still good to eat …

NEWHOUSE … “And so, we’re trying to standardize these, this labeling so that people don’t throw away things that are still usable, consumable, and perfectly safe.”

So, Newhouse says we can hold onto many foods longer than we might otherwise …

NEWHOUSE … “So that we can reduce wasted food, reduce the cost of foods to consumers, and all of the resources that go into the production of that food, the land, the water, the fertilizer, the labor, essentially is wasted too. So, try to put an end to that.”

And, Newhouse says standardizing our food labels would help do that …

NEWHOUSE … “And I think it’s something that I think a lot of people would welcome that we have some clarity from what the dates on those packages actually mean.”

Newhouse says our outdated, confusing, and arbitrary labeling system results in about 90% of Americans throwing out perfectly good food, also wasting the hard work and resources that go into producing food.