Groups Aim to Reduce Wasted Food by Changing 'Best By' Dates
2022-10-11
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1Each food product in the United States must show a "best before" date on its container.
2The goal of placing the date on food is to tell the buyer when the food will be at its freshest.
3Some people call the date the "expiration date."
4Many people believe it is unsafe to use the product after that date.
5But some observers say "best before" labels have nothing to do with safety.
6They worry that the information will lead consumers to throw away food that is good to eat.
7People around the world are thinking about ways to prevent wasting food.
8They think that "best before" labels are one cause of waste.
9Patty Apple is a manager at Food Shift in Alameda, California.
10It is a nonprofit group that collects and uses expired or bad looking foods.
11"They read these dates and then they believe that it's bad, they can't eat it... when these dates don't actually mean that they're not edible or they're not still nutritious or tasty," she said.
12Some food sellers in Britain recently removed "best before" labels from prepackaged fruit and vegetables.
13The European Union may soon announce changes to its labeling laws.
14It may even end the requirement to include a date.
15In the U.S., there is no similar effort to do away with "best before" labels.
16But there is a movement to make changes to labels that will help educate buyers about when food can be eaten.
17Some big food store owners and food companies are pushing for the U.S. Congress to pass new laws on the subject.
18Dana Gunders is executive director of ReFED.
19It is a nonprofit group in New York state that studies food waste. Gunders said the level of support for the new laws is growing.
20ReFED says as much as 35 percent of available food goes uneaten in the United States.
21That adds up to a lot of wasted energy.
22The waste includes the water, land and labor that goes into the food production.
23The group says it also means more greenhouse gases coming from landfills, where people bury waste.
24But ReFED estimates that seven percent of U.S. food waste comes from people's misunderstanding of "best before" labels.
25That percentage is equal to about 3.6 million tons each year.
26Date labels first appeared in the 1970s but there are no federal rules controlling them.
27The food producers themselves decide when they believe their products will taste best.
28Only baby formula must have a "use by" date in the United States.
29Since 2019, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that producers use the label "best if used by" for freshness.
30The FDA recommends "use by" for perishable goods, based on opinion studies showing that consumers understand those expressions.
31Richard Lipsit owns a store called Grocery Outlet in Pleasanton, California, that specializes in low-priced food.
32He said milk can be safely used up to a week after its "use by" date.
33And you can safely eat canned goods and many other packaged foods for years after their "best before" date.
34The FDA says people should look for changes in color, thickness, or feel to learn if foods are all right to eat.
35"Our bodies are very well equipped to recognize the signs of decay, when food is past its edible point," Gunders said.
36"We've lost trust in those senses and we've replaced it with trust in these dates."
37Clearer labeling and donation rules could help groups like Food Shift.
38The group trains cooks using outdated food.
39If new laws are approved in Congress, food could be donated to food rescue organizations even after its quality date has passed.
40Food rescue describes efforts to find uses for outdated food.
41Currently, the Associated Press says at least 20 states ban the sale or donation of food after its quality date has passed.
42I'm Jill Robbins.
1Each food product in the United States must show a "best before" date on its container. 2The goal of placing the date on food is to tell the buyer when the food will be at its freshest. 3Some people call the date the "expiration date." Many people believe it is unsafe to use the product after that date. 4But some observers say "best before" labels have nothing to do with safety. They worry that the information will lead consumers to throw away food that is good to eat. People around the world are thinking about ways to prevent wasting food. They think that "best before" labels are one cause of waste. 5Patty Apple is a manager at Food Shift in Alameda, California. It is a nonprofit group that collects and uses expired or bad looking foods. "They read these dates and then they believe that it's bad, they can't eat it... when these dates don't actually mean that they're not edible or they're not still nutritious or tasty," she said. 6Some food sellers in Britain recently removed "best before" labels from prepackaged fruit and vegetables. The European Union may soon announce changes to its labeling laws. It may even end the requirement to include a date. 7In the U.S., there is no similar effort to do away with "best before" labels. But there is a movement to make changes to labels that will help educate buyers about when food can be eaten. 8Some big food store owners and food companies are pushing for the U.S. Congress to pass new laws on the subject. Dana Gunders is executive director of ReFED. It is a nonprofit group in New York state that studies food waste. Gunders said the level of support for the new laws is growing. 9Wasted energy 10ReFED says as much as 35 percent of available food goes uneaten in the United States. That adds up to a lot of wasted energy. The waste includes the water, land and labor that goes into the food production. The group says it also means more greenhouse gases coming from landfills, where people bury waste. But ReFED estimates that seven percent of U.S. food waste comes from people's misunderstanding of "best before" labels. That percentage is equal to about 3.6 million tons each year. 11Date labels first appeared in the 1970s but there are no federal rules controlling them. The food producers themselves decide when they believe their products will taste best. Only baby formula must have a "use by" date in the United States. 12Since 2019, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that producers use the label "best if used by" for freshness. The FDA recommends "use by" for perishable goods, based on opinion studies showing that consumers understand those expressions. 13Good for years 14Richard Lipsit owns a store called Grocery Outlet in Pleasanton, California, that specializes in low-priced food. He said milk can be safely used up to a week after its "use by" date. And you can safely eat canned goods and many other packaged foods for years after their "best before" date. 15The FDA says people should look for changes in color, thickness, or feel to learn if foods are all right to eat. 16"Our bodies are very well equipped to recognize the signs of decay, when food is past its edible point," Gunders said. "We've lost trust in those senses and we've replaced it with trust in these dates." 17Clearer labeling and donation rules could help groups like Food Shift. The group trains cooks using outdated food. If new laws are approved in Congress, food could be donated to food rescue organizations even after its quality date has passed. Food rescue describes efforts to find uses for outdated food. Currently, the Associated Press says at least 20 states ban the sale or donation of food after its quality date has passed. 18I'm Jill Robbins. 19Dee-Ann Durbin reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. 20_____________________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22label -n. a piece of paper stuck to containers that tell about the product inside 23customer -n. a person who buys goods or services 24edible - adj. safe to eat and not poisonous. 25prepackaged -adj. something that has been put in a package for sale and usually has been prepared for use upon opening 26formula -n. a food for babies that is similar to mother's milk 27perishable - adj. something, esp. a food, likely to spoil or deteriorate 28confusion -n. a situation in which people are uncertain about what to do or unable to understand something 29consumer - n. a person who buys a product to use it for themselves 30canned -adj. put in a metal container 31decay - n. rot that is a result of bacterial, fungal, or chemical action 32_______________________________________________________________________ 33What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 34Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them.