Date Labeling

Global

Date Labeling | Issue Brief

November 2023

This resource provides detailed information on how date labeling laws and regulations can reduce food waste by clarifying the distinction between quality and safety labels.

Achieving Zero Food Waste: A State Policy Toolkit

May 2023

In response to constituent demand, state leaders are at the forefront of advancing efforts to tackle food waste across the United States—ensuring food makes it to those experiencing food insecurity, creating jobs and economic opportunities, while also addressing environmental harms and climate change. FLPC, in collaboration with the Zero Food Waste Coalition, created this toolkit to similarly embolden officials and advocates from across the country to learn from each other’s successes and accelerate their own leadership and impact. This toolkit contains a range of tried and tested policies that states can use to prevent food waste and keep food out of landfills and incinerators.

Opportunities to Reduce Food Waste in the 2023 Farm Bill

April 2022

Opportunities to Reduce Food Waste in the 2023 Farm Bill details how Congress can act to reduce food waste and recommends specific provisions to include in the 2023/2024 Farm Bill. Given the bipartisan support for measures to reduce food waste, the farm bill provides an exciting opportunity to invest in food waste reduction efforts for greater social, economic, and environmental benefits. This report breaks food waste recommendations into four categories, based on whether they are intended to prevent food waste, increase food recovery, recycle food scraps through composting or anaerobic digestion, or coordinate food waste reduction efforts.

Leveraging Child Nutrition Reauthorization to Reduce Food Waste

Date Labeling | Liability Protections | Government Grants and Incentives | Food Safety for Food Donations | Federal Advocacy

May 2021

This report outlines opportunities for Congress to leverage the next Child Nutrition Reauthorization legislation to reduce food waste in federal child nutrition programs. It also highlights several administrative opportunities through which the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and the Food and Drug Administration could prioritize food waste reduction independent of Congressional action. This report suggests general changes to the Child Nutrition Act and changes specific to the child nutrition programs through the NSLP/SBP, CACFP, and WIC.

Food Recovery in the District of Columbia: A Legal Guide

Date Labeling | Liability Protections | Tax Incentives | Food Safety for Food Donations

October 2019

This legal guide answers some of the most common legal questions raised by businesses, schools, charities, and other stakeholders regarding food donation and food recovery in the District of Columbia. This guide was originally published in October 2017 and was updated in 2019 after the District adopted the Save Good Food Amendment Act.

Date Labels: The Case for Federal Legislation

June 2019

Confusing, inconsistent, and opaque date labels contribute significantly to America’s food waste crisis. Existing efforts from state and industry actors are a step in the right direction, but these initiatives alone are not a comprehensive solution. Federal legislation is necessary to establish a uniform date labeling system that requires use of standard labels on all food products. A uniform federal system that clearly distinguishes between food quality and food safety will alleviate confusion, reduce food waste, and save consumer dollars, while also reducing burdens on manufacturers and retailers stemming from inconsistent state date labeling requirements.

Misunderstood Food Date Labels and Reported Food Discards: A Survey of US Consumer Attitudes and Behaviors

Date Labeling | Not Really Expired | Consumer Education

March 2019

Misunderstanding the meaning of food date labels is strongly associated with reports of more frequent food discards. This paper discusses the results of a survey providing policy-relevant insights about how Americans use and perceive date labels, and about language used in labeling that may be most effective at communicating desired messages to consumers. As date labeling becomes standardized, this research underlines the need for a strong accompanying communications campaign, and highlights a particular need to reach those ages 18–34.

Good Laws, Good Food: Putting Local Food Policy to Work for Our Communities

October 2017

Section VIII of this toolkit discusses state and local policies to decrease and recover food that would otherwise be wasted.

Moving Food Waste Forward Policy Recommendations for Next Steps in Pennsylvania

September 2017

The Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic was commissioned by Philabundance to develop this report outlining legislative strategies and regulatory opportunities that could reduce food waste in Pennsylvania. The goal of this report is to understand how to build on best practices from across the country and address the unique strengths and challenges within Pennsylvania.

Don’t Waste, Donate: Enhancing Food Donations Through Federal Policy

Prevention | Recovery

Date Labeling | Liability Protections | Tax Incentives | Food Safety for Food Donations

March 2017

A number of federal laws and policies strive to enhance food recovery, yet many are out of touch with the evolving landscape of food donation and the effectiveness of others is limited by a number of barriers. This policy paper presents actions the federal government can take to better align federal laws and policies with the objective of increasing donation of safe surplus food.

Moving Food Waste Forward | Policy Recommendations for Next Steps in Massachusetts

February 2017

In October of 2016, the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic released Keeping Food Out of the Landfill: Policy Ideas for States and Localities, a resource that provides detailed information on how states and local governments can contribute to local food waste reduction. This report applies and refines that resource to provide information and recommendations specific to Massachusetts stakeholders. Massachusetts stakeholders can use the information in this report to determine key priorities for next steps in policy change to further reduce the amount of food wasted in the state.

ReFED Policy Finder

January 2017

Since 2017, FLPC and ReFED have partnered together on the Policy Finder, a tool which provides information on six policy areas that affect food waste nationwide: Date Labeling, Tax Incentives, Liability Protections, Food Safety for Food Donations, Animal Feed, and Organic Waste Bans. In addition to state laws, the Policy Finder provides an overview of current federal policies, proposed federal policies, and future policy goals. The Policy Finder is meant to be a tool for nonprofits, businesses, and government officials to understand current policies in their jurisdiction and nationwide and use this knowledge to advocate for better policies.

Keeping Food Out of the Landfill

Prevention | Recovery

Date Labeling | Liability Protections | Tax Incentives | Food Safety for Food Donations

October 2016

This toolkit was developed in response to the growing state and local interest in adopting policies to reduce the amount of food that goes to waste. This toolkit surveys eight different policy areas that state and local governments can examine as methods to reduce food waste and increase food recovery. This toolkit also provides information about the relevant federal laws, because they often serve as a legal floor, on which states can layer additional protections or opportunities. This toolkit should be useful to legislators on the state and local levels and their staff members, to the vast array of potential food donors (including large and small businesses, farmers, food producers, manufacturers, schools, institutions, and end consumers), and to activists and concerned citizens seeking to use policy to reduce food waste. The suggestions and highlighted best practices are intended to provide context and resources for state and local actors as they seek to improve their local food recovery landscape.

Article on Consumer Perception of Date Labels

May 2016

This article summarizes the findings of a consumer survey gathering insights into consumer perceptions of food date labels. The 2016 survey captured responses from a demographically representative sample of 1,029 adults. The questions posed were part of a CARAVAN® omnibus survey that is conducted twice a week by ORC International and the findings are one piece of a larger analysis of consumer perceptions of date labels.

Op-Ed: Is that milk past its ‘sell by’ date? Drink it anyway.

February 2016

Op-Ed on the impact of food date labeling by Emily Broad Leib

US Food Loss and Waste Policy Action Plan for Congress and the Administration

Date Labeling | Government Grants and Incentives | Consumer Education

December 2013

FLPC, ReFED, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) compiled these recommendations for the Biden administration and Congress to take ambitious action to reduce FLW.

The Dating Game: How Confusing Food Date Labels Lead to FW in America