The Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are looking into common food-labeling terms, such as “Sell By,” “Use By,” and “Best By,” to understand industry practices and address consumer confusion.
With the joint request for information (RFI), the organizations also hope to understand how consumers interpret date label information and the relationship between food labeling, food waste, and household expenses, according to a joint statement.
On a surface level, food and beverage date labels simply indicate when foods expire; however, manufacturers can use these dates to address when a product is no longer safe to consume or when a product’s perceived quality (i.e., taste) has begun to degrade but can still be eaten.
“It has been estimated that confusion over the multitude of different date labeling terms on food products accounts for about 20% of food waste in the home,” the FDA said in a statement.
“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,” said Jim Jones, FDA’s deputy commissioner for human foods.
The news comes in the wake of California’s decision to crack down on manufacturers’ use of food labeling terms such as “Sell By” or “Best Before” which lack a universal meaning. New regulations for the state require “Best if Used By” to indicate peak quality and “Use By” to connote product safety, effective July 2026, the Associated Press reported.
“Having to wonder whether our food is still good is an issue that we all have struggled with,” said the bill’s author and Democratic Assembly member Jacqui Irwin.
This means all manufacturers who merchandise products in the state will have to update their product packaging or face fines. The implications of the ruling are far-reaching, as manufacturers may find it easier to standardize their process for items sold in the state and across the U.S.
Recent data shows consumers are likely to be misled by the terminology.
“Over half of consumers connect ‘Best if Used By’ and ‘Use By’ dates with food safety, while over 30% believe these labels are related to food quality,” Joseph Balagtas, professor of agricultural economics at Purdue, said of a report calling for date labeling unification. “This information problem is a kind of market failure and leads to waste.”
The FDA and USDA recommend manufacturers voluntarily apply the “Best if Used By” label for quality-based assessments; however, there are no current federal regulations to prohibit the use of “Sell By” or “Use By.”
These changes also follow the FDA’s tentative proposal to change food labels in the U.S. to improve readability and put more front-of-pack nutrition information that will give consumers “simplified, at-a-glance nutrition information that gives consumers additional context” to make more informed food decisions, said the FDA.
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