What food expiration dates really mean – and when to ignore them

WASHINGTON POST • May 17, 2023

The United States lacks national standards for food expiration dates, which has led to a hodgepodge of conflicting state laws, with food producers in many cases slapping whatever dates and phrasing they want onto their products. “There’s a lot of confusion among consumers and, frankly, people who work in the food industry as well,” said Dana Gunders, executive director of the anti-food waste nonprofit ReFED. As a result, an estimated 80 million tons of perfectly usable food go uneaten. Last week, a group of lawmakers, including Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), reintroduced a bill called the Food Date Labeling Act meant to reduce food waste by standardizing date labels on food products.