If you ’ve ever flip a piece of expired food that looked utterly fine , or wondered whether that chunk of moldy cheese wassupposedto be moldy , you ’re not alone . There ’s a lot of confusion over food date label in the United States , which can make it hard to bang when your food has actually gone bad . “ Sell by , ” “ use by , ” and “ pass away on ” labels are n’t just vague — their definitions can diverge by realm or fellowship . And this confusion lead to huge total of food waste matter .
CNBCreports that fresh legislating was introduced this workweek in the U.S. Senate and House which would reform and standardize food for thought appointment labeling . The legislation , which was introduced by Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal and Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree , aims to protect consumers while also cut down considerably on the amount of good solid food that terminate up in the meth . If passed , the bill would establish a internal date labeling system , and want party to recognize between labels indicate peak calibre ( when the nutrient is at its unused ) and labels point foods are no longer safe to eat .
Food waste is becoming a major problem in the United States . The U.S. annually discardsup to 40 percentof its food supply and , as CNBC notes , that percentage has risen sharply over the last four decades . American consumers are presently wasting up to 50 percent more food than they did in the seventies . Blumenthal and Pingree desire that making food for thought labels cleared will reduce waste by make it easy for consumer to make out when food has genuinely run bad .
“ Before taking a swig of Milk River , many Americans glance quickly at the date label and discard it out , without realizing that it still may be dead safe to consume , " Blumenthal excuse in astatement . " Items at the market store are stamped with a jumble of arbitrary food day of the month labels that are not found on condom or scientific discipline . By establishing a uniform national escort labeling system , this commonsense lawmaking will supply consumers with clearness that will help them economize money on their foodstuff measure and keep absolutely good solid food from going to consume . ”
[ h / tCNBC ]
