‘Tis the season to make way more food than we can eat.
But research shows our own perceptions about food date labels might play a major role in food waste, too.
The Congressional Research Service reports that confusion over food date labels accounts for 7% of food waste in the U.S.
With no federal oversight of what more than 10 variations of “best if used by” and “use-by” actually mean, people have little to fall back on but their own levels of risk-aversion.
The November 2023 Consumer Food Insights Report, a nationwide survey of 1,200 consumers, found half thought such date labels had to do with food safety, while over 30% believed they related to peak food quality.
That’s closer to the truth, though labeling information is largely left to the manufacturer’s discretion.
