Carla Schwan, assistant educator in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences nutrition sciences department and UGA Cooperative Extension food safety expert, conversed with GPB regarding how uncertainty surrounding grocery labels leads to food waste.

“The studies available indicate that much of the confusion stems from labeling dates … and when you combine that with excessive purchasing, it tends to worsen the issue,” Schwan remarked.

Consumers have expressed that manufacturer labels such as “Sell By,” “Use By,” and “Best By” create ambiguity regarding the actual spoilage of their groceries.

Consequently, they are more inclined to discard perfectly fine food items.

Schwan noted that some of the food labels in question are solely intended for retailers, allowing manufacturers to inform retailers when unsold products should be removed from their shelves.

Consumers can implement different strategies to monitor freshness.

“Perhaps you could maintain a log to see how much you consume from each food category,” Schwan suggested. “This would assist you in understanding how much you actually need to purchase, rather than just buying and hoping to eat it, only to find you don’t. Another approach is to arrange the food in your refrigerator or even in your pantry as you acquire it, following a first in, first out method.”

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