Sell by? Best by? Use by? How to decipher food labels
Sell by? Best by? Use by? How to decipher food labels
- Thu, Mar 12 at 2026 9:26 AM
Mark,
What a waste: The U.S. throws out a staggering 130 billion meals worth of food every year.1
And how crazy is this? An estimated 7% of that waste is the result of confusing date labels on food.2
The problem? Food labels often don't mean what many consumers think they mean. Here's what's driving the confusion and what we can do about it.
Nobody wants to waste food. But nobody wants to eat food that's gone bad either.
When we're not sure whether that milk is safe to pour in our cereal or that bread is OK to use for our next sandwich, we check the date on the label. The problem is that different companies use different labels that mean different things for different foods.
Some say "sell by." Others say "best by" or "freshest by." Still others might say "freeze by" or "best if used by." There's no consistency because there's no agreement within the industry and no federal regulation. Many people see a date and assume it's an expiration date; they toss food in the trash that's still safe and good to eat.3
In fact, an estimated 80% of Americans have discarded good food because they misunderstood the date label.4
Food is usually still good after the sell by and best by dates. These labels often don't signal when food is safe to eat, but rather when it's at peak freshness.5
A great way to know if your food is really bad is to return to the basics and trust your instincts: smell it. Does it smell a little off? No? Then it's probably still OK. Don't trust your own nose? Ask a family member or neighbor.
You can also check the food company's website for more information on what guides its labeling. In general, though, don't take a best by date as a deadline to throw it out.
It shouldn't be this difficult or complicated, though. If companies used the same labels that mean the same things, we'd all be more certain of whether our food is safe to eat or ready to compost or trash, and we'd throw out a lot less. Experts estimate that uniform date labels could prevent up to 390,000 tons of food waste every year.6
Given the vast time, energy and resources that farmers, ranchers and the rest of the industry pour into food production, it's ludicrous that we waste so much of it. Uniform food labels wouldn't solve the entire food waste problem, but they'd make a dent.
We're working to reduce food waste through the adoption of uniform food date labels. And we're grateful for the support of people like you, who want to live in a more sustainable, less wasteful world.
Thank you,
Faye Park
President, National Office
P.S. We're urging federal regulators to adopt uniform date labels to prevent unnecessary food waste, but we need your help. Will you donate today?
1. "Food Waste in America in 2026," Recycle Track Systems, last accessed February 17, 2026.
2. "Uniform Date Labeling of Food May Address Food Waste," Congress.gov, September 15, 2023.
3. Brenna Stevens and Celeste Meiffren-Swango, "How do you know if your food is expired?," PIRG, February 6, 2026.
4. "Food Waste in America in 2026," Recycle Track Systems, last accessed February 17, 2026.
5. "Food Waste in America in 2026," Recycle Track Systems, last accessed February 17, 2026.
6. Brenna Stevens and Celeste Meiffren-Swango, "How do you know if your food is expired?," PIRG, February 6, 2026.
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