New York Lawmakers Pass Food Label Bill as 80% of U.S. Consumers Toss Food Over Date Confusion
Updated
Updated · NBC Philadelphia · Jul 1
New York Lawmakers Pass Food Label Bill as 80% of U.S. Consumers Toss Food Over Date Confusion
3 articles · Updated · NBC Philadelphia · Jul 1
Summary
New York lawmakers approved a bill requiring standardized food date labels, sending the measure to Gov. Kathy Hochul after California became the first state to adopt similar rules.
About 80% of U.S. consumers throw away food because they misread labels such as “sell by,” “best by” and “use by” as expiration dates; USDA estimates 30% of annual food waste stems largely from that confusion.
The bill targets a gap in federal oversight: outside infant formula and baby food, date labels are not federally regulated, and USDA guidance urging “best if used by” for quality and “use by” for safety remains voluntary.
Most date labels signal quality, not safety — shelf-stable foods are often safe well past those dates — while infant formula is the key exception where the “use by” date is a safety cutoff.
Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and South Carolina have also proposed labeling legislation, pointing to a broader state-led push to curb avoidable food waste.