Imagine the frustration a consumer feels after spending two minutes to locate a “best by” date on a food product—only to find instead a “display until” or “harvested on” date in seven-point black text on a dark-green background. It’s no wonder there’s cursing under one’s breath. Finding, checking and understanding date codes on products can take longer than locating the products themselves.
In September, FE looked at food loss and waste in the supply chain, following up on a May 2018 news story. In this go-round, FE finds that the U.S. Government Accountability Office reports a great deal of food waste comes from consumers’ misinterpretation of product date labels. It’s no wonder. The proliferation of various forms of “best by” dates (or simply date labels) is enough to cause consumers not to buy a product with a short “sell by” date, leaving it to be junked at the store—or tossed prematurely at home—when the product is still perfectly fine.