As awareness grows around the world about , one culprit in particular is drawing scrutiny: 91裸聊视频渂est before91裸聊视频� labels.

Manufacturers have used the labels for decades to estimate peak freshness. Unlike 91裸聊视频渦se by91裸聊视频� labels, which are found on perishable foods like meat and dairy, 91裸聊视频渂est before91裸聊视频� labels have nothing to do with safety and may encourage consumers to throw away food that91裸聊视频檚 perfectly fine to eat.

91裸聊视频淭hey read these dates and then they assume that it91裸聊视频檚 bad, they can91裸聊视频檛 eat it and they toss it, when these dates don91裸聊视频檛 actually mean that they91裸聊视频檙e not edible or they91裸聊视频檙e not still nutritious or tasty,91裸聊视频� said Patty Apple, a manager at Food Shift, an Alameda, California, nonprofit that collects and uses expired or imperfect foods.

To tackle the problem, major U.K. chains like Waitrose, Sainsbury91裸聊视频檚 and Marks & Spencer recently removed 91裸聊视频渂est before91裸聊视频� labels from prepackaged fruit and vegetables. The European Union is expected to announce a revamp to its labeling laws by the end of this year; it91裸聊视频檚 considering abolishing 91裸聊视频渂est before91裸聊视频� labels altogether.

In the U.S., there91裸聊视频檚 no similar push to scrap . But there is growing momentum to standardize the language on date labels to help educate buyers about , including a push from big grocers and food companies and bipartisan legislation in Congress.

91裸聊视频淚 do think that the level of support for this has grown tremendously,91裸聊视频� said Dana Gunders, executive director of ReFED, a New York-based nonprofit that studies food waste.

The United Nations estimates that 17% of global food production is wasted each year; most of that comes from households. In the U.S., as much as 35% of food available goes uneaten, ReFED says. That adds up to a lot of wasted energy 91裸聊视频� including the water, land and labor that goes into the food production 91裸聊视频� and higher greenhouse gas emissions when unwanted food goes into landfills.

There are many reasons food gets wasted, from large portion sizes to customers91裸聊视频� rejection of imperfect produce. But ReFED estimates that 7% of U.S. food waste 91裸聊视频� or 4 million tons annually 91裸聊视频� is due to consumer confusion over 91裸聊视频渂est before91裸聊视频� labels.

Date labels were widely adopted by manufacturers in the 1970s to answer consumers91裸聊视频� concerns about product freshness. There are no federal rules governing them, and manufacturers are allowed to determine when they believe their products will taste best. Only infant formula is required to have a 91裸聊视频渦se by91裸聊视频� date in the U.S.

Since 2019, the Food and Drug Administration 91裸聊视频� which regulates around 80% of U.S. food 91裸聊视频� has recommended that manufacturers use the labels 91裸聊视频渂est if used by91裸聊视频� for freshness and 91裸聊视频渦se by91裸聊视频� for perishable goods, based on surveys showing that consumers understand those phrases.

But the effort is voluntary, and the language on labels continues to vary widely, from 91裸聊视频渟ell by91裸聊视频� to 91裸聊视频渆njoy by91裸聊视频� to 91裸聊视频渇reshest before.91裸聊视频� A survey released in June by researchers at the University of Maryland found at least 50 different date labels used on U.S. grocery shelves and widespread confusion among customers.

91裸聊视频淢ost people believe that if it says 91裸聊视频榮ell by,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频榖est by91裸聊视频� or 91裸聊视频榚xpiration,91裸聊视频� you can91裸聊视频檛 eat any of them. That91裸聊视频檚 not actually accurate,91裸聊视频� said Richard Lipsit, who owns a Grocery Outlet store in Pleasanton, California, that specializes in discounted food.

Lipsit said milk can be safely consumed up to a week after its 91裸聊视频渦se by91裸聊视频� date. Gunders said canned goods and many other packaged foods can be safely eaten for years after their 91裸聊视频渂est before91裸聊视频� date. The FDA suggests consumers look for changes in color, consistency or texture to determine if foods are all right to eat.

91裸聊视频淥ur bodies are very well equipped to recognize the signs of decay, when food is past its edible point,91裸聊视频� Gunders said. 91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檝e lost trust in those senses and we91裸聊视频檝e replaced it with trust in these dates.91裸聊视频�

Some U.K. grocery chains are actively encouraging customers to use their senses. Morrisons removed 91裸聊视频渦se by91裸聊视频� dates from most store-brand milk in January and replaced them with a 91裸聊视频渂est before91裸聊视频� label. Co-op, another grocery chain, did the same to its store-brand yogurts.

It91裸聊视频檚 a change some shoppers support. Ellie Spanswick, a social media marketer in Falmouth, England, buys produce, eggs and other groceries at farm stands and local shops when she can. The food has no labels, she said, but it91裸聊视频檚 easy to see that it91裸聊视频檚 fresh.

91裸聊视频淭he last thing we need to be doing is wasting more food and money because it has a label on it telling us it91裸聊视频檚 past being good for eating,91裸聊视频� Spanswick said.

But not everyone agrees. Ana Wetrov of London, who runs a home renovation business with her husband, worries that without labels, staff might not know which items should be removed from shelves. She recently bought a pineapple and only realized after she cut into it that it was rotting in the middle.

91裸聊视频淲e have had dates on those packages for the last 20 years or so. Why fix it when it91裸聊视频檚 not broken?91裸聊视频� Wetrov said.

Some U.S. chains 91裸聊视频� including Walmart 91裸聊视频� have shifted their store brands to standardized 91裸聊视频渂est if used by91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频渦se by91裸聊视频� labels. The Consumer Brands Association 91裸聊视频� which represents big food companies like General Mills and Dole 91裸聊视频� also encourages members to use those labels.

91裸聊视频淯niformity makes it much more simple for our companies to manufacture products and keep the prices lower,91裸聊视频� said Katie Denis, the association91裸聊视频檚 vice president of communications.

In the absence of federal policy, states have stepped in with their own laws, frustrating food companies and grocers. Florida and Nevada, for example, require 91裸聊视频渟ell by91裸聊视频� dates on shellfish and dairy, and Arizona requires 91裸聊视频渂est by91裸聊视频� or 91裸聊视频渦se by91裸聊视频� dates on eggs, according to Emily Broad Lieb, director of the Food Law and Policy Clinic at Harvard Law School.

The confusion has led some companies, like Unilever, to support legislation currently in Congress that would standardize U.S. date labels and ensure that food could be donated to rescue organizations even after its quality date. At least 20 states currently prohibit the sale or donation of food after the date listed on the label because of liability fears, Lieb said.

Clearer labeling and donation rules could help nonprofits like Food Shift, which trains chefs using rescued food. It even makes dog treats from overripe bananas, recovered chicken fat and spent grain from a brewer, Apple said.

91裸聊视频淲e definitely need to be focusing more on doing these small actions like addressing expiration date labels, because even though it91裸聊视频檚 such a tiny part of this whole food waste issue, it can be very impactful,91裸聊视频� Apple said.

91裸聊视频擠ee-ann Durbin, The Associated Press