You might be eyeing those strawberries in your refrigerator, but you don’t remember when you bought them. You look at the date on the packaging and notice that it has passed. Are the strawberries still safe to eat? You hate to waste what appears to be good food, but you also do not want you or your family to get sick. 

Like many people, you might be confused by the different “best before” or “use by” dates on many food items. Out of concern for your health, you might have thrown out food prematurely because of what looks like an “expiration” date. Unfortunately, misconceptions about these labels and fears of eating unhealthy foods contribute to U.S. households wasting an estimated 20% of their food each year. 

The Source of Confusion 

In the 1970s, food manufacturers began adding date labels to their products. While no regulations exist for these labels on most perishable foods, U.S. law requires that baby formula have “use by” dates. 

In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began an initiative to cut down on food waste. The primary problem stemmed from consumers throwing away food that was still safe because, according to the date labeling, such food appeared to “expire.” To help curb the waste, the FDA recommended that manufacturers use “best if used by” to indicate freshness and to label perishable foods with “use by” labeling. 

Research suggests that the wording of these labels makes a difference in how well consumers understand their meanings and how much food they unnecessarily throw out. Cornell University led a study finding that people interpret phrases like “use by” to relate solely to safety. In contrast, they view “best by” or “best if used by” as indicators of an item’s quality or freshness. According to the researchers, people are less likely to throw away food with “best by” labeling than “use by” terms.