Responding to Congresswoman Pingree's Request, GAO Releases Food Date Labeling Report

Statement

In response to request for study made by Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) in October 2017, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) today issued a report which confirmed food date labeling to be a significant source of consumer confusion and subsequently food waste. Pingree praised the report titled "Date Labels on Packaged Foods: USDA and FDA Could Take Additional Steps to Reduce Consumer Confusion," which recommended that federal agencies coordinate with state and local governments to standardize food date labels.

"40 percent of the food produced in the US is wasted annually. Until we have a federal law that actually standardizes date labeling across all markets, we will not see a significant reduction in consumer confusion or food waste greenhouse gas emissions," said Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. "All stakeholders--local, state, federal, or private sector--must work collaboratively to set and enforce clear labeling standards to reduce food waste."

The report calls for coordination between federal agencies and other stakeholders such as state, local, and tribal governments on actions related to date labels. GAO also acknowledged that USDA and FDA share oversight of almost the entire food supply, but don't regulate most date labels (besides infant formula) and are not required to do so by federal law.

Source