The Truth About Food Date Labels — And How They’re Fueling Food Waste

When you open your fridge and see that your milk’s “best by” date was yesterday, what do you do?

If you’re like most Americans, you probably toss it.

But here’s the thing: that milk might still be perfectly safe to drink. And that simple misunderstanding — over a tiny printed date — adds up to billions of pounds of wasted food every year.

The Confusing World of Date Labels

Let’s clear this up once and for all: food date labels in the U.S. (except on baby formula) are not regulated for safety.

That means phrases like:

• “Best if used by”
• “Sell by”
• “Use by” are not expiration dates in the traditional sense. They’re manufacturer suggestions for when a product is at peak quality — not necessarily when it’s unsafe to eat.

Unfortunately, these labels are inconsistent, confusing, and often misunderstood. In fact, studies show that over 80% of consumers throw out food prematurely because of misinterpreting date labels.

What Those Labels Really Mean

Here’s a quick guide to help make sense of it all:

🗓️ Best if Used By: Indicates when the product will taste its best — it’s still safe to eat afterward!

🏷️ Sell By: Tells retailers how long to display the product. It’s not meant for consumers and doesn’t mean the food is bad after that date.

⏰ Use By: The closest thing to a true expiration date. Found mostly on perishable items like meat or dairy that could become unsafe over time.

Understanding the difference could save you money — and help prevent massive amounts of unnecessary food waste.

The Bigger Picture: How Mislabeling Fuels Waste

Each year, the U.S. throws away up to 40% of all food produced. That’s over 119 billion pounds of food — while more than 44 million Americans face hunger.

Food date confusion is one of the top contributors to this waste. Perfectly safe food gets tossed, ends up in landfills, and produces harmful methane gas — a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

At Move For Hunger, we see firsthand how much good food can still feed families in need. By simply rethinking how we interpret these labels, we can all play a role in reducing waste and fighting hunger.

How You Can Help

💡 1. Trust your senses. Look, smell, and taste before you toss. If it looks and smells fine, it probably is.

🥫 2. Organize your kitchen. Use the “first in, first out” rule — move older items to the front and newer ones to the back.

❤️ 3. Donate what you don’t need. If you have shelf-stable food you won’t use before the date, donate it to a local food drive or food bank.

🧠 4. Spread awareness. Share this post. Talk about it with your family, friends, or coworkers. Small conversations can lead to big change.

Together, We Can Change the Story

Food waste isn’t just about what ends up in the trash — it’s about the meals that never make it to the table.

By understanding how food date labeling works, we can each take a simple step toward a more sustainable and hunger-free world.

Think before you toss. Check before you chuck. Together, we can make every meal count.

💪 Join the Movement

Move For Hunger partners with moving companies, apartment communities, and corporations across the country to fight food waste and feed families in need.

👉 Get involved today and help us rescue more meals for those who need them most. www.MoveForHunger.org