The can of chickpeas in the pantry has an expiration date that passed two weeks ago. The loaf of bread on the counter has an expiration date of today. And then there’s the Manchego cheese in the deli drawer, which is stamped with a fast-approaching “use by” date. So, is it time to throw out those groceries?

Probably not.

Many consumers think that date labels indicate when packaged foods are no longer edible, but in reality, this is not accurate. “All these dates are really there for food quality. They’re not there for safety,” says Donald Schaffnerfood safety expert at Rutgers University. Once the date passes, “the food may not taste as good, but it is still safe to eat.”

But many consumers don’t realize this – and this widespread confusion about what dates on labels mean leads to a lot of wasted food and money.

This is why the FDA and USDA are currently asking the food industry and the general public for their opinions. comments on how these food date labels are used and how they are interpreted. Agencies say this is part of advancing a national strategy to reduce food loss and waste.

Research found that the vast majority of consumers – 84% – throw away food at least occasionally because of the date on the label, and 37% say they do it most of the time. The USDA estimates that the average family of four spends at least $1,500 each year on food that goes uneaten. Other estimates suggest With food prices so high these days, the average household of four now spends more than $3,000 a year on thrown away food.

“This not only leads to wasted food, but also wasted money,” says Emily BroadLeibfood policy and food waste expert at Harvard Law School. Concerns around food prices have made food waste an even bigger concern, she says. “People really want to think about how they spend money on food in their household.”

And it’s not just about money. Food waste ends up in landfills, where it is a major source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, meaning it “has a very significant environmental impact,” says Broad Leib.

California recently passed a law This requires the standardization of food date labels – “best before” indicating when foods are at their peak freshness and “use by” for food safety reasons. Broad Leib says she would like to see the federal government follow suit by requiring standardization of food date labels.

At the moment there is no federal regulations requiring the use of date labels on foods. The only exception is infant formula. By law, it must have a use-by date because its nutritional value declines over time, which could put infants at risk of nutritional deficiencies.

For several years, the FDA and USDA have encouraged food manufacturers to voluntarily adopt the term “best if used by” for quality. Research conducted by Broad Leib and colleagues found that consumers are more likely to correctly interpret this label as an indication of quality, not safety. Many food companies also use the term “use by” to signal when food should be thrown away.

But the adoption of this formulation is far from universal. And many states have their own requirements for food date labeling, making it difficult if not impossible for companies to adopt this wording, Broad Leib says. She says the plethora of expressions used on date labels contributes to consumer confusion.

In an email to NPR, an FDA spokesperson said that for now, the agency is only gathering information and will use the information it receives “to inform next steps in ‘date labeling’. Here is a link if you want to intervene.

In the meantime, what about consumers when they decide whether or not to throw away food? Schaffner says not to rely solely on the date on the label, but instead to use your own judgment.

“The key message is that something doesn’t go from perfectly safe to completely toxic once that date passes,” says Schaffner. “It probably depends on the food. It depends on the individual and their sensitivity.”

There are some foods you need to be more careful about, like cold cuts, eggs, or chicken salad—these don’t stay good for long, Broad Leib says.

With other foods, you have more wiggle room. Take yogurt, for example.

“The general rule I use with yogurt is that it’s actually already spoiled milk,” says Schaffner. “And so the only thing that’s going to happen in your refrigerator is it’s going to get even more spoiled. It might get more tart.” But as long as you don’t see mold, he says the yogurt is safe to eat beyond the date listed on the label.

With hard cheeses, he advises cutting off about a quarter of an inch around any mold you might see and discarding it. But he says soft cheeses and moldy jams require more caution because mold can penetrate deeper, so it would be best to throw them away. As for canned food, if the can isn’t rusty or bulging, he says it’s probably safe to eat.

And obviously, if a food doesn’t smell or taste good, Schaffner recommends not eating it. “Life is too short to eat bad food.”

This story was edited by Jane Greenhalgh

Copyright 2024 NPR