You’re About To See Less “Sell By” Dates At The Grocery Store
Did you know that we waste A LOT of food by throwing it away because we think it's expired by the date on the container? That's about to change! Why do we think that it is expired? Some containers have a "Sell By" date on the packaging. Once you're past that date, you assume you'll DIE if you eat it. So you just throw it out to be safe.
Last week, the two biggest trade groups in the grocery industry, the Food Marketing Institute and the Grocery Manufacturers Association, changed their guidelines to get RID of "Sell By" dates. They want to standardize it. So they're telling companies to only use the terms, "Use By" or "Best If Used By". Most of the major food companies are members.
The term "Best If Used By" is what they'll use for most stuff. "Use By" is only for stuff that might make you sick if you wait too long to eat it, like beef and poultry. There's no law on the books about all this. So companies can keep using "Sell By" dates if they want to. But it sounds like most of them are on board, and should start following the new guidelines soon.