Food waste is a hot topic quickly moving into the political mainstream, because it touches so many issues at once — the environment, hunger, household budgets and the overall economy. As it turns out, confusing date labels lead to Americans wasting as much as 40 percent of their food. With the exception of infant formula, none of these dates is federally regulated, and all are determined by the manufacturer. As a result, consumers regularly throw away expired, yet usually safe, food. Now, proposed legislation from California Assemblyman David Chiu aims to address the issue by changing one simple but crucial thing: the expiration dates on food. Chiu’s proposal would require manufacturers to give food one of two labels in California: “Best if used by” would indicate when a food will be at its best quality, and “expires on” would be used solely on highly perishable foods. The latter would signify the date that they should no longer be eaten.
Changing expiration labels would help cut back food waste
More of Today's Solutions
The story “pedal”-er: how an ice-cream cart library is changing lives in Karachi
Mohammad Noman bikes carefully and purposefully through the labyrinthine lanes of Karachi's Lyari Town, among the rush and bustle of everyday life. Though his ...
Read MoreScientists astonished to find 700 new species in Cambodia’s mysterious ...
Embark on a journey to discover the hidden riches concealed beneath Cambodia's mangrove forests, where nature thrives against the backdrop of endangered landscapes. A ...
Read More4 simple ways to feel at your absolute best this summer
The sunshine of summer is enough to make you feel better than you usually do throughout the year. But with a few changes to ...
Read MoreIndians recently planted 250 million trees—while socially distancing
India is committed to keeping a third of its total land area under forest and tree cover. In recent years the country has mobilized ...
Read More
