Americans throw away $29 billion of food because food date labels are so confusing
$29 billion
People throw away $29 billion worth of food every year in the US that is actually safe to eat, in part because food labels can be really confusing.
Published | Photo by Reuters/Neil Hall
Companies use at least 10 different phrases to communicate when to throw a product away. Some are aimed at consumers, others at retailers, like “Best before” and “Display until.”
Tesco, Kellogg, Campbell, Walmart, and Carrefour pledged in September to stop using those confusing labels and adopt “Use by” for perishable goods, and “Best if used by” for other goods.
