In an effort to fight America’s food waste, U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) on July 25 proposed a bipartisan bill to streamline the dates on food labels to provide consistent and clear definitions for quality and safety.
“This bill takes a step toward reducing food waste by helping consumers understand the meaning behind date labels,” Rep. Newhouse said. “The legislation also helps restaurants and grocery stores bridge the gap when it comes to donating food to shelters, food banks and other charitable organizations.”
Rep. Newhouse cosponsored the Food Date Labeling Act, H.R. 3981, with U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) to standardize date labels on food products. The lawmakers both serve as co-chairs of the Congressional Food Recovery Caucus.
According to information provided by Rep. Newhouse’s office, estimates indicate that around 90 percent of Americans throw out safe food in part because of confusion around the meaning of date labels.
“Food labeling is important for consumer education, but the current practice is confusing and outdated,” said Rep. Newhouse.
Currently, there are no federal regulations related to date labels on food products, except for infant formula, and states have authority to set date labeling regulations, which include varying phrases, including: “sell by,” “use by,” “freshest on,” and “expires on,” according to Rep. Newhouse’s office.
If enacted, H.R. 3981 would establish requirements for quality and discard dates that would be at the option of food labelers to include in food packaging, according to the congressional record summary.
H.R. 3981 would set one food date labeling system, which would utilize the phrase: “Best If Used By,” and would stipulate that food could be sold or donated after its labeled quality date.
The bill has garnered support from the Sustainable Food Policy Alliance, the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic, and the Food Recovery Network, among others.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) on July 30 introduced the same-named companion bill, S. 2337, in his chamber.