FMI, GMA propose new date labels
The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) announced a new product labeling initiative intended to reduce confusion caused by variable ways companies use to present date labels, including Sell By, Use By, and Best By.
The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) announced a new product labeling initiative intended to reduce confusion caused by variable ways companies use to present date labels, including Sell By, Use By, and Best By.
The new voluntary labels use just two phrases. “Best If Used By” indicates the date past which the taste and quality of the food cannot be guaranteed, and “Use By” applies to foods that are highly perishable and may have a safety concern over time. Foods past the Use By date should be discarded, but those past the Best If Used By date would still be safe to consume. Retailers and manufacturers are encouraged to immediately begin phasing in the common wording, with widespread adoption urged by the summer of 2018.
“Eliminating confusion for consumers by using common product date wording is a win-win because it means more products will be used instead of thrown away in error,” says Jack Jeffers, vice-president of quality at Dean Foods, which led GMA’s work on this issue. “It’s much better that these products stay in the kitchen—and out of landfills.”