Confusion Over Food Date Labels Has Grown, According to New National Survey

In a time of elevated food prices, more U.S. consumers are discarding edible food prematurely due to misperceptions of food date labels

NEW YORK, Feb. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. consumers report discarding food near or past the label date even more often than they did in 2016, according to new findings from a national survey on U.S. consumer perceptions of food date labels. Researchers from the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic, ReFED, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health published updated 2025 findings from a survey that was first conducted in 2016.¹ The 2025 survey, conducted January 10-14, 2025, by The Harris Poll among over 2,000 U.S. adults, found that 43% of U.S. consumers say they always or usually discard food near or past the label date (up from 37% in 2016), and 88% say they do so at least occasionally (up from 84% in 2016). The findings are significant because most food remains safe to eat past the printed date according to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Both industry leaders and federal and state-level policymakers have initiated steps in recent years to reform food date labels in an effort to reduce confusion, however, the study makes clear these have not had the desired effect. ReFED estimates that U.S. consumers waste close to 35 million tons of food annually at a value of nearly $800 per person. Confusion over date labels alone leads U.S. consumers to throw away about three billion pounds of food, worth $7 billion, every year, according to ReFED, which identifies standardizing date labels as one of the most cost-effective solutions for reducing food waste.

Additional key findings and interpretations from the 2025 survey include:

• While an average of 87% of U.S. consumers believed they knew the meanings of eight different labels, when quizzed, only an average of 53% answered correctly.
• Consumers use date labels differently depending on the food item. Misinformed choices lead to food safety risk when food that should be discarded is not (e.g., deli meats), and unnecessary waste when food that's still edible is thrown away (e.g., breakfast cereal).
• 44% of U.S. consumers mistakenly think the federal government regulates the phrases on food date labels (up from 36% in 2016) when in fact only the date labels on infant formula are federally regulated.
• Date labels are especially likely to mislead groups that may face economic vulnerabilities, such as young adults.

This new information is particularly relevant at a time when food prices are elevated. Also, the USDA and FDA have a public request for information on food date labels, including the relationship between food date labels, food waste, and household expenses, with comments due by March 5, 2025.

The authors identify two urgent priorities based on the study: a federally regulated system of consistent food date labels people can trust, and consumer education that can teach what the labels actually mean.

"At a time when consumers are trying to stretch their food budgets to deal with high prices, we need to be doing everything we can to help maximize the value of the food they're already purchasing, and addressing consumer confusion over date labels should be top of the list," says Dana Gunders, president of ReFED and co-author of the report. "ReFED's modeling shows that standardizing date labels could prevent at least 425,000 tons of food waste annually, and that translates directly to cost savings for consumers. While we're not moving in the right direction, the stage is set and the time to act is now."

"More people than ever mistakenly discard safe and healthy food, and this study suggests that efforts like the food industry's voluntary Product Code Dating Initiative, while a commendable effort to start us on a path towards clearer date labels, do not seem to have improved how people use or interpret date labels," says Emily Broad Leib, faculty director of the Food Law and Policy Clinic at Harvard Law School and co-author of the report. "A federally regulated system of standardized food date labels people can trust—along with consumer education that clarifies what they mean—would not only reduce food waste but also save money and better use our natural resources."

"The message for consumers is also striking: You might be throwing out food when you don't need to," says Roni Neff, professor in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering and co-author of the report. "We found that across labels, on average 39% of respondents thought they knew the label meanings but were incorrect. In fact, in nearly all cases, it's better to rely on your senses than the label when deciding whether food is still good to eat. (Exceptions include items such as deli meats and soft cheeses)."

To download the study, click here. To submit comments for the USDA-FDA Public Request for Information on food date labels, click here.

About ReFED
ReFED is a U.S.-based nonprofit that catalyzes the food system toward evidence-based action to stop wasting food. We work to increase adoption of food waste solutions across the supply chain by cultivating and convening the food community, delivering actionable evidence and insights, and seeding and accelerating promising initiatives. Our vision is a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive food system that makes the best use of the food we grow. To learn more about solutions to reduce food waste, please visit www.refed.org.

About Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic
The Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC) serves partner organizations and communities by providing guidance on cutting-edge food system issues while engaging and educating law students in the practice of food law and policy. FLPC is committed to advancing a cross-sector, multidisciplinary, and inclusive approach to its work, building partnerships with academic institutions, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, private-sector actors, and civil society with expertise in public health, the environment, and the economy. FLPC's work focuses on increasing access to healthy foods, supporting sustainable production and regional food systems, promoting community-led food system change, and reducing waste of healthy, wholesome food.

About Johns Hopkins Department of Environmental Health and Engineering
The Johns Hopkins Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, which spans the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Whiting School of Engineering, leads pioneering research and prepares the next generation of scholars to solve critical and complex issues at the interface of public health and engineering. Learn more about our programs.

Survey Method:
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Johns Hopkins School of Public Health from January 10-14, 2025, among 2,069 adults ages 18 and older. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Roni Neff at [email protected].

Media Contact:
Jaime Rice
[email protected] 

¹ The 2016 survey was conducted by ORC International with different sampling, included 1,029 U.S. adults, and a few questions were slightly different.

SOURCE ReFED