US: Product date labels lead to confusion within households

A new poll shows that nearly 60% of Americans have had a discussion within their household about the meaning of date labels on their food. The poll findings clearly illustrate that the current range of variations of date labels such as “best by, use by, sell by, use or freeze by,” found on food products is problematic for consumers.
In February, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the Food Marketing Institute joined together to streamline the myriad date labels down to just two standard phrases. “BEST If Used By” describes product quality. “USE By” applies to the few products that are highly perishable and/or have a food safety concern over time (News Item GMA, 25 July 2017).
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