Dozens of different date phrases on food packaging — "sell by," "use before," "best before" — leave many consumers unsure whether food is still safe to eat, contributing to significant household food waste. The Food Date Labeling Act standardizes this: if a manufacturer voluntarily puts a date on food packaging, it must use one of two phrases — "BEST If Used By" for quality dates (the product may be less fresh but is still safe to eat) or "USE By" for discard dates (food should not be consumed after this date). The rule applies to meat, poultry, eggs, and most other FDA and USDA-regulated food products, though infant formula is excluded. States cannot require different date-label phrases, though they may still prohibit the sale of food past its discard date. Manufacturers have two years from enactment to comply.
Congressional Summary
Food Date Labeling Act of 2025This bill establishes uniform requirements for quality and discard date phrases (e.g., best by and use by) placed voluntarily on food labels.Specifically, if a food is labeled with a quality date (i.e., the date after which the quality of the item may deteriorate), the label must include the phrase BEST If Used By or the abbreviation BB. Similarly, if a food is labeled with a discard date (i.e., the date after which the item should not be consumed), the label must include the phrase USE By or the abbreviation UB. Abbreviations may be used only if an item’s packaging is too small to fit the full phrase.Quality and discard dates must be written in a single, easy-to-read font and placed in a prominent location on an item’s label or package. The phrase or freeze by may be added after a quality or discard date phrase where appropriate.The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) must promulgate regulations to carry out these provisions and ensure that the uniform phrases are standardized across all food products. HHS and USDA may specify alternative quality and discard date phrases through regulations.The bill specifies that no state or local government may enforce a requirement related to quality and discard date phrases that differs from the requirements of the bill. The bill does not apply to infant formula, which is subject to separate labeling requirements under current law.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-08-15
- Date Added
- 2026-06-30
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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