WASHINGTON, DC (February 20, 2026) – Over 30 food industry supporters have signed the Zero Food Waste Coalition and Consumer Brands Association’s joint open letter calling on Congress to pass the bipartisan Food Date Labeling Act of 2025 (H.R.4987, S.2541) (FDLA). The FDLA aims to reduce food waste by establishing a voluntary standardized dual date-labeling scheme for food products in the United States. Major food industry businesses, including FMI – The Food Industry Association, Walmart, Amazon, and Unilever, have signed the letter, which highlights how standardizing and streamlining date labels is one of the most cost-effective methods to prevent the wasting of surplus, wholesome food.

Approximately one-third of all food produced or imported into the United States goes unsold or uneaten each year, and confusion over date labels is a major driver of this waste. With almost 47 different labeling terms currently being used, consumers often prematurely discard food because they mistakenly confuse “quality” date labels with “discard” date labels. Most dates on food are quality dates that indicate the manufacturer's estimate for optimal freshness and taste of food. Some small number of foods have date labels that are intended to signal the shelf-life of food or an increased risk of food safety after an extended amount of time, after which the labeler advises the food not to be consumed. However, there is currently no federal regulation on food date labeling, except for infant formula. The current patchwork of date label regulations across states lacks consistency, and the resulting consumer confusion accounts for approximately 6% of all U.S. food waste, costing American households and businesses more than $22 billion per year.

The FDLA directly addresses consumer confusion by proposing a labeling scheme where food labelers who choose to include a date label on their food product use one of two options: “BEST If Used By” to indicate optimal freshness and quality and “USE By” to indicate the discard date. This simplified and standardized labeling proposal is welcomed by food businesses and trade associations.

In addition to establishing a dual-labeling scheme, the FDLA also directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to work together to provide education on the meanings of the standardized date labels. A collaboration between USDA and FDA would support the successful implementation of the new date label scheme and clarify the meaning of date labels for individuals, businesses, and even state regulators. As they grapple with rising food costs, American households on average still spend about $3,000 annually, or 11% of their yearly food budgets, to purchase food that is ultimately wasted. Education efforts by the agencies can therefore support American families by reducing confusion and significantly stretching their food dollars.

Finally, the FDLA supports food recovery. Under the FDLA, food products past their quality date that still meet food safety standards can continue to be sold or donated by food businesses, reducing unnecessary waste and ensuring that food products go to people, not landfills.

Food industry leaders across the supply chain view the FDLA as a commonsense solution that will bring much-needed regulatory consistency on food labeling. The proposed legislation offers a practical approach to addressing consumer confusion on date labels, helping American households save money and reducing national food waste levels. Industry is also on board to support the agencies in educating consumers about a new, standardized date-labeling scheme.

The Zero Food Waste Coalition, alongside the growing number of food industry companies, call on Congress to pass the Food Date Labeling Act and make progress on the U.S. goal of halving food waste by 2030.

“The makers of America's trusted household brands have always been committed to increasing consumer transparency and reducing unnecessary food waste. A streamlined and standardized approach to wording accompanying date labels on packages increases consumer confidence in the quality and safety of products. The Food Date Labeling Act of 2025 builds on industry led efforts and provides national uniformity to prevent consumer confusion. We appreciate the sponsors’ efforts to balance the needs of the consumer and complexity of changing labels.” – Sarah Gallo, Senior Vice President Federal Affairs, Consumer Brands Association

“FMI members are dedicated to educating consumers on food quality and safety to prevent food from going to landfills nd increasing the amount of safe, nutritious food donated to those in need. The Food Date Labeling Act advances these goals as consumers seek to maximize the value of their grocery dollar while aligning efforts to reduce waste. We are grateful to the sponsors for prioritizing this issue and we look forward to working with them to pass this legislation.” – Andrew Harig, Vice President of Tax, Trade, Sustainability & Policy Development, FMI – The Food Industry Association

“The Food Date Labeling Act is a vital policy solution to support organizations across the food service sector to reduce food loss and waste. Greater clarity and consistency will reduce confusion about product freshness and curb the unnecessary disposal of wholesome food. At Bon Appétit Management Company, this will support us in achieving our food loss and waste reduction targets and represents an important step forward nationally.” – Terri Brownlee, MPH, RDN, LDN, Vice President Food Education and Wellness at Bon Appétit Management Company

“At Too Good To Go, we see every day how confusion around date labels can lead to the unnecessary waste of food that’s still perfectly good. Establishing clear, consistent national standards for date labeling is not only a bipartisan, practical opportunity to improve consumer understanding of food safety and quality, but it also reduces waste and strengthens the efficiency of the U.S. food system in a cost-effective way. We’re proud to support this effort and encourage policymakers to advance solutions that bring greater clarity to food date labeling nationwide.” – Chris MacAulay, Vice President of Operations for Too Good To Go North America

---

The Zero Food Waste Coalition aims to inform and influence policy at the local, state, and federal levels, and share policy updates and opportunities with partners and stakeholders around the country to bring consumers, businesses, and government together to make food loss and waste history. The Coalition was launched by Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), ReFED, and The Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC) in April 2023, formalizing a partnership that began in January 2020.

CONTACT:
Zero Food Waste Coalition, zfwcoalition@gmail.com
Ada Ezeokoli, aezeokoli@law.harvard.edu
Susan McCarthy, susan.mccarthy@wwfus.org
Emily Deanne, edeanne@nrdc.org
Nate Clark, nate.clark@refed.com

Download File:

Letter of Support for Food Date Labeling Act of 2025