The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 4, 2024 issued a joint Request for Information (RFI) 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. The information, according to the agencies, may be used to inform future policy decisions, guidance, or consumer education campaigns on food date labels intended to help reduce the premature discard of wholesome and safe food.
“Minimizing food waste is a priority of the broiler industry and we believe that clear and consistent date labeling will minimize consumer confusion and, subsequently, aid in minimizing food waste,” said Ashley Peterson, Ph.D., NCC senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs in comments submitted Wednesday. “NCC appreciates the actions FDA and FSIS have taken to date related to food date labeling, and their willingness to engage stakeholders on this important topic. A federally led approach to food date labeling is critical to minimizing consumer confusion and the potential for food waste.”
To that end, NCC:
- Encouraged FSIS and FDA to continue to work in collaboration to ensure that any changes in regulatory requirements are consistent between both agencies;
- Requested that any future changes in labeling requirements be focused on consumer-ready products only; and
- Asked that companies have adequate time to utilize all packaging material currently in inventory prior to making the required label changes (e.g., 3 years).
NCC’s comments can be read by clicking here.
Background
On June 12, 2024, the final National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics (the National Strategy) was released. The National Strategy lays out a path for the U.S. to meet its national goal of reducing food loss and waste by 50 percent by 2030.
In response to the National Strategy, FSIS and FDA received 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 on a voluntary basis. According to commenters, the use of 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.
