We often buy products from the grocery store and check for their expiry dates. It is, in fact, one of the first things people check while picking up stuff. But this very date has been a reason for a lot of food wastage among Americans. So to counter the food wastage, the FDA is now planning to use the terms "Best if Used by" on packaged food. This label will point about food quality and not safety. To deal with the public confusion about how long a consumer can use a grocery item the FDA is looking to standardize one phrase. 5 Smart Ways To Prevent Food Wastage and Reduce World Hunger.

Most products have descriptions like 'use by', 'sell by', 'freeze by', 'best before' and 'expires on' written on it. This leaves the public unclear about the safety of the products. So a lot of people end up throwing out still good food items, which are still safe to consume. Data suggests that Americans toss out about $161 billion worth of food each year. That means about one-third of all food produced in the U.S. is wasted or lost. So in order to tackle the waste, The Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to the food industry to fix on 'best if used by' on packaged food labels. Kellogg’s Launches Beer Made with Rejected Cornflakes to Reduce Food Wastage.

FDA did consumer research to find out the best phrase that will communicate the message. This phrase essentially means, that the product is still good and can be consumed after the said date. The point is about its quality. It will not be too bad but can be used. If stored well, it can be used for a long time. Frank Yiannas, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's deputy commissioner said, "We expect that over time, the number of various date labels will be reduced as industry aligns on this 'Best if Used By' terminology. This change is already being adopted by many food producers."

According to regulators, this move will help in reducing the misunderstanding and also help in controlling about 20% of food waste. So several companies have been asked to follow the new guidance and some of them have already embraced it. It applies to all shelf-stable, packaged foods. The federal government wants to reduce the food wastage by 50% in the next decade.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 26, 2019 06:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).