ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
At the grocery store, you might see a few different phrases on food labels - use by, sell by, best before. Many consumers are confused about what they actually mean. The FDA and USDA are asking the food industry and the public for their input on these date labels to clear up the confusion. NPR's Maria Godoy is here to tell us more. Hi, Maria.
MARIA GODOY, BYLINE: Hi, Ari.
SHAPIRO: Why are there so many different date labels, and what do they mean?
GODOY: Well, there's no real standardization on the use of these date labels. They're supposed to indicate when the food is freshest - so when it tastes best. For the most part, they aren't there to tell you when your food is no longer safe to eat. But that's not what consumers think. You know, they tend to think it means it's no longer good, and that leads to a lot of wasted food.
SHAPIRO: So people are throwing food away that has not gone bad just 'cause it's past the date on the box or the bag.
GODOY: Exactly. So one study found 84% of consumers said they throw away food because of the date at least occasionally, and 37% do it pretty much all the time. And that's not just a lot of wasted food. It's a lot of wasted money. The USDA estimates the average American household spends at least $1,500 a year on food that gets tossed out. Other estimates put that number at more than $3,000 a year. You know, here's Emily Broad Leib. She's a food policy and food waste expert at Harvard.
EMILY BROAD LEIB: It's not only leading to food waste, but it's also causing people to waste a lot of money, which - I think it became even more of a focus for them because of the concerns around food prices right now.
GODOY: And it's not just about money. Broad Leib points out that food waste ends up in landfills, where it's a major source of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. So this is also an environmental issue.
SHAPIRO: So tell us about the proposals to make these labels more understandable, more consumer-friendly.
GODOY: Yeah. Well, many food companies have voluntarily adopted the use of the words best if used by to indicate when food is at its peak freshness and use by as a food safety date. But this usage isn't universal at all. California recently passed a law that requires food products to use these two labels, so that's brought more attention to the issue. I reached out to USDA and FDA to ask if that's what they're thinking about doing. They said they're just gathering information at this point. It's part of a national strategy to reduce food waste.
SHAPIRO: Well, what guidance can you offer those of us today who are unclear about how to interpret these dates on food labels that go by different names?
GODOY: I guess, you know, don't throw away food just because of the date on the label. There are some foods you have to be more careful about, like deli meats or egg salad or chicken salad. Those don't stay good for long. But I spoke with Don Schaffner. He's a food safety expert at Rutgers University. And he says it's often a judgment call. You know, if it smells bad, don't eat it.
DON SCHAFFNER: The key message that something doesn't go from perfectly safe to completely toxic as soon as it passes that date is probably a good bit of advice. And that - again, it probably depends upon the food. It depends upon the individual and how sensitive they are.
GODOY: Now, there are some foods where you have some leeway. He says yogurt, for example, is safe to eat beyond the date on the label as long as you don't see any mold on it. With hard cheeses, you can cut around the mold and throw that away. But if it's a moldy soft cheese, toss it. Canned foods - if the can isn't rusted or bulging, he says it's probably fine. Now, infant formula is the only food bylaw that requires a date label, and that's because the nutrient value declines.
SHAPIRO: That's NPR health correspondent Maria Godoy. Thanks for the info.
GODOY: My pleasure. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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