Rick Scott bill targets food expiration dates, hopes to limit food waste

A legislative champion has emerged on behalf of Floridians who obsess over “best by” dates of items in their pantries, their refrigerators, and on store shelves.

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott is carrying the Food Date Labeling Act.

The measure, introduced with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, attempts to clarify what can be confusing expiration dates, creating a bifurcated, simple scheme where “Best If Used By” applies to quality and “Use By” confers an assurance of safety. The bill would also preempt responsibility for labels to the federal government.

“If a quality date is used on a food package, such quality date shall be proceeded by the uniform quality date label phrase … If a discard date is used on food packaging, such discard date shall be proceeded by the uniform discard date label phrase,” the bill proposes.

“Families across the country are working hard to take care of their families, make good decisions, and put food on the table. The last thing they need to deal with are confusing food date labels that are leading to perfectly good food being thrown away, wasting money and resources. This bipartisan bill offers a clear, straightforward solution to help consumers make smarter choices, reduce food waste, and support food donation efforts. I’m proud to work with my bipartisan colleagues to make our food system more transparent, efficient, and affordable for every American family,” Scott said.

The bill is backed by the Zero Food Waste Coalition, ReFed, the World Wildlife Fund, and Agri-Cycle.