Food expiration dates don’t mean what you think

How much food in your fridge will you throw out before it makes it to the table? Hamburger buns from last summer’s picnic? Milk past its sell-by date? Carrots that lost their crunch? Countries worldwide waste enormous amounts of food each year, and the United States is among the worst offenders. Individual households contribute to 37% of the US food waste, with roughly 20% of these items discarded because consumers misinterpret the labeled dates. However, most of these groceries are still perfectly safe to eat. So, what do the dates on our food actually indicate if they don’t necessarily signal spoilage?

Before the 20th century, the journey from food production to consumption was much more direct, and people typically assessed freshness through sight, smell, and touch. However, as supermarkets began to stock processed foods, determining product age became more challenging. In the US, grocers initially used packaging codes to track shelf life, but by the 1970s, consumers wanted access to this information. Many supermarkets adopted a system called open dating, where food manufacturers or retailers labeled products with dates indicating optimal freshness. This metric does not correlate with expiration dates or food safety and is often not based on scientific evidence, leading manufacturers and retailers to set early dates to ensure customers taste their products at their best and return for more. This means many foods remain safe to eat well beyond their labeled dates.

Old cookies, pasta, and other shelf-stable groceries might taste stale but do not pose a health risk. Canned foods can remain safe for years as long as they don’t show signs of bulging or rusting. Low freezer temperatures prevent bacteria that cause food poisoning, preserving properly stored frozen dinners indefinitely. Refrigerated eggs are good for up to five weeks, and if they spoil, your nose will alert you. Spoiled produce can be identified by off odors, slimy surfaces, and mold.

However, in some cases, it’s better to be cautious. The USDA recommends eating or freezing meat within days of purchase. Ready-to-eat salads, deli meats, and unpasteurized cheeses are more likely to harbor pathogenic bacteria beyond their printed dates, which can evade smell or taste tests. Infant formula dates are regulated to ensure safety. While some labels serve their purpose, the majority do not. A 2019 survey of over 1,000 Americans found that more than 70% use date labels to decide if food is still edible, and nearly 60% discard any food past those dates. Restaurants and grocers often do the same.

To reduce this waste, many experts advocate for laws requiring date labels to use one of two standardized phrases: “Best if used by” for freshness and “Use by” for safety. Although not perfect, some US researchers estimate that implementing these standards at a federal level could prevent approximately 398,000 tons of food waste annually. Grocers could also remove date labels from produce, as several UK supermarket chains have done, to encourage consumers to use their judgment. Additionally, policies incentivizing grocers and restaurants to donate unsold food are recommended. Currently, confusion around dates has led at least 20 US states to restrict donating food past its labeled date, despite federal protections for such donations. Countries like France have even more stringent requirements, mandating many supermarkets donate unsold food.

Ultimately, the best way to prevent food waste is to consume what you purchase and rely on your senses to determine if food is fit for consumption or the compost bin.