From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov

Transcript for: Food Date Labels

Description: If you've ever wondered what "Best Before" or "Enjoy By"
meant on your food, this episode's for you.

Related GAO Work: GAO-19-407: Date Labels on Packaged Foods: USDA and
FDA Could Take Additional Steps to Reduce Consumer Confusion

Released: September 2019


[ Background Music ]

[ Steve Morris: ] Except for infant formula, the federal government
currently doesn't require any date labels on food.

[ Matt Oldham: ] Welcome to GAO's Watchdog Report, your source for news
and information from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. I'm Matt
Oldham. Much of the food bought at the supermarket is labeled with a
message that may seem familiar. You've probably read them yourself,
terms like "sell by," or "best before." But what do they mean really?
Well, Steve Morris, a Natural Resources and Environment director at GAO
is with me to talk about a report taking a look at the federal
government's role in these date labels, and any consumer confusion.
Thanks for joining me, Steve.

[ Steve Morris: ] Thanks Matt, good to be with you today.

[ Matt Oldham: ] So Steve, the last time you were on this podcast, you
talked about food loss, and you mentioned how confusion about date
labels played a role in this waste. Could you explain that link a bit
more?

[ Steve Morris: ] Yeah, sure thing, Matt. You're right. Earlier I
mentioned that about a third of the food that we produce each year is
wasted, and there are many reasons why that food is wasted. For example,
let me give you one key one. We've found that some studies are finding
that consumers are confused about the meaning of date labels on food.
And so what happens is that they throw out the food even though it's
still good because they think it's unsafe.

[ Matt Oldham: ] So I have to be honest, I'm not sure myself all the
time what the difference is between the labels, for example, "best if
used by" and "better if used before." Does the federal government play a
role in what these date labels say or what they mean?

[ Steve Morris: ] Well Matt, except for infant formula, the federal
government currently doesn't require any date labels on food. And the
words that are used on date labels aren't regulated by the government
either. So food manufacturers that choose to use date labels may use a
range of phrases, such as "best by" or "use by" or "enjoy by" among
others. And these phrases can be confusing to the consumer as it's not
always clear whether they focus on food safety or food quality. So in
most cases those date labels are focused on quality and indicate when
the product is at its peak freshness or flavor, and really have nothing
to do with food safety or at what point the product may make you sick.
But the key point here is that this distinction isn't always clear to
the consumer.

[ Background Music ]

[ Matt Oldham: ] So it sounds like the federal government doesn't
regulate what food date labels say. It's the manufacturers who create
phrases like "use by" or "enjoy by." And consumers don't always know
when these labels refer to safety or quality. So Steve, what's the
government doing to reduce this confusion?

[ Steve Morris: ] You know, good question Matt. You know, the government
has taken some steps to address consumer confusion over date labels.  To
give you some examples, it's posted information about what some of the
labels mean. It's also supported some industry efforts to standardize
some of these labels. And they're also providing guidance to food banks
on how to interpret the date labels so that food—which may be past the
date on the label but otherwise wholesome—can still be provided to those
in need.

[ Matt Oldham: ] And is there anything more that they can do?

[ Steve Morris: ] We think so, Matt. Just to make one point clear here,
unlike the federal government, states, local governments and tribes can
and do regulate date labels. So for example, most states have some
regulations for certain foods, like dairy, and eggs and shellfish. But
these regulations can vary widely state to state, which really creates a
patchwork of rules for industry to follow. So given that, we recommended
that the federal government do a better job of coordinating with states
and others to ensure that really their collective efforts to address
consumer confusion over date labels are most effective. 

[ Matt Oldham: ] So finally, Steve, what's the bottom line here?

[ Steve Morris: ] Well Matt, you know, we know that consumers are often
confused about the meaning of date labels and that confusion leads to
food waste.The federal government does recognize the importance of this
issue. They're taking some steps to address it. But as I mentioned, we
think more needs to be done. And we believe that the federal government
should really focus on partnering with industry, and states, and local
and tribal governments, to find some common-ground solutions here to
address the consumer confusion over labels. In addition to that, also to
help to reduce food waste.

[ Matt Oldham: ] Steve Morris was talking about the federal government
and food date labels, which may be confusing for Americans. Thank you
for your time, Steve.

[ Steve Morris: ] Thank you, Matt.

[ Background Music ]

[ Matt Oldham: ] And thank you for listening to the Watchdog Report. To
hear more podcasts, subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts. For more from the
congressional watchdog, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, visit
us at gao.gov.