USDA, FDA seek information about food date labeling to provide clarity for consumers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture  have announced a joint request for Information (RFI) about food date labeling, which includes the use of terms such as “Sell By,” “Use By” and “Best By” indications. 

The RFI seeks information on industry practices and preferences for date labeling, research results on consumer perceptions of date labeling, and any impact date labeling may have on food waste and grocery costs.

 For example, questions in the RFI include which products contain date labels and the criteria for deciding what phrase to use and what date to include. The RFI also asks questions about how consumers interpret date label information, including whether consumers are confused by this information – especially if they believe the dates determine whether food is safe when in fact, they indicate quality – or whether it has impacts on decisions made while grocery shopping or discarding food. 

Finally, some questions explore any relationship between date labels, food waste and household expenses.

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the FDA jointly have broad jurisdiction and oversight over the U.S. food supply. 

They are responsible for ensuring that food labels on products over which they each have jurisdiction are truthful and not misleading. The FDA has jurisdiction over about 80 percent of foods while the USDA oversees meat, poultry and processed egg products.

The information collected from the RFI may be used to inform future policy decisions, guidance, or consumer education campaigns on food date labels, which are intended to help reduce the premature discard of wholesome and safe food. 

“It has been estimated that confusion over the multitude of different date labeling terms on food products accounts for about 20 percent of food waste in the home. The information collected will help us understand consumers’ perception of terms like ‘Sell By,’ ‘Use By’ and ‘Best By,’” said FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Jim Jones. “We are looking forward to gathering valuable information to determine how date labeling can make it easier for consumers to know whether a food is still good to eat and avoid food waste. The FDA is committed to doing all that we can to support informed and sound decisions that are good for U.S. consumers.”

“Food labels contain a wealth of information for consumers, including a food product’s ‘best if used by’ date,” said USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Emilio Esteban. “Through this Request for Information, we hope to learn more about how those date labels are determined and whether they confuse consumers and lead to needless food waste.” 

The current action is one of many taken in response to the National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics, released by the FDA, USDA, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in June 2024. 

The USDA estimates that the average family of four spends at least $1,500 each year on food that ends up uneaten, and the EPA estimates that, in 2019, 66 million tons of wasted food was generated in the food retail, food service, and residential sectors, and most of this waste, about 60 percent was sent to landfills. The National Strategy lays out a path that would enable the U.S. to meet its national goal of reducing food loss and waste by 50 percent by 2030 to help reduce the environmental impacts of food waste and lower costs for American families.

In response to the draft National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics, the FDA and the USDA received over 9,800 comments encouraging an update of the federal date labeling requirements, including standardizing date labeling. 

Commenters noted that food manufacturers use a variety of phrases such as “Sell By,” “Use By,” and “Best By” on product labels to describe dates voluntarily. According to commenters, using different phrases to describe dates may cause consumer confusion and lead to the premature disposal of wholesome and safe food because it is past the date printed on the package. The RFI attempts to explore the issues raised in those comments by asking stakeholders for information they have relevant to this topic. 

The FDA and USDA recommend that food industry members voluntarily apply the “Best if Used By” quality-based food date label, which notes the date after which quality may decline, but the product may still be consumed. Although the FDA and the USDA encourage the use of the phrase “Best if Used By,” current federal regulations do not prohibit industry from using other date labeling phrases, such as “Sell By” or “Use By,” if they are truthful and not misleading. 

Commenters will have 60 days to provide comments responsive to one or more of the 13 questions. Further information on how to submit a comment can be found here.

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Source: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2024/12/usda-fda-seek-information-about-food-date-labeling-to-provide-clarity-for-consumers/