US food labelling bill looks to reduce confusion and food waste

If passed, the bill represents an important step forward in improving consumer awareness about the optimal shelf life of a product.

A US government bill working its way through Congress is being proposed to standardise “use by” labels on food to mitigate consumer confusion and avoid unnecessary food waste. It is likely to promote improved consumer understanding of food quality and will have important implications for food manufacturing and marketing over the next few years.

Currently, food labelling practices are inconsistent and unclear; some companies use expiration dates to indicate when a product was past its peak quality, while others use it to alert consumers of the risk of illness if consumed beyond that date. Such irregularities have predictably led to confusion and the unnecessary disposal of food that was perfectly safe for consumption.

US Food Date Labeling Act

The proposed Food Date Labeling Act offers manufacturers two options: a “Best if used by” date to communicate that the quality of the product may deteriorate after the date, and a “Use by” date to indicate estimated shelf life, after which the product should be discarded.

If passed, the bill represents an important step forward in improving consumer awareness about the optimal shelf life of a product. Given consumers’ inclination to associate freshness with health, they may be inclined to prematurely dispose of food under the impression that it has passed its nutritional potency. Through standardised “use by” labels, consumers are more likely to recognise that this window of time for freshness and nutrition is longer than they previously believed.

This is turn may have the unexpected effect of promoting the “ugly food movement,” which has seen supermarkets worldwide sell and promote oddly-sized or misshapen fruits and vegetables in an effort to reduce food waste. Consumers who are more open-minded about the shelf life of food may no longer perceive that “imperfect” foods compromise on taste or quality. Food manufacturers should, therefore, explore more opportunities to incorporate “ugly food” into the production process, a narrative that promotes a sustainability message without undermining quality credentials.

If standardised food labels start to gain momentum in other markets, manufacturers need to understand its broader effect on consumer attitudes and subsequent product choices.

TrendSights Overview: Sustainability & Ethics – Meeting social and environmental challenges amid growing populations and energy demands
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