Food Date Labeling Act of 2025
Sens. Blumenthal and Scott Introduce Bill to Standardize Food Date Labels to Help Reduce Waste
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- This bill creates two standard phrases for food labels: "BEST If Used By" for food quality and "USE By" for food safety. Currently, companies use many different phrases, which can confuse shoppers into throwing away perfectly good food.
- Food companies are not required to put dates on their products under this bill. However, if they choose to include a date, they must use the new standard wording so that every package in the grocery store is consistent.
- The goal is to reduce food waste by making it clear when food is actually unsafe to eat versus when it just might not taste as fresh. States would be banned from stopping the sale or donation of food just because it passed its quality date.
- The government would start a public education campaign within two years to teach people what these new labels mean. This ensures families know which foods are still safe to eat and which should be tossed.
- These rules would not apply to infant formula, which already has its own strict labeling laws. If passed, the new labeling requirements would start appearing on food packages two years after the bill becomes law.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
Life & Work
Small food producers and retailers would need to update their packaging to use the new standardized "BEST If Used By" or "USE By" phrases if they choose to include dates. While this creates a one-time cost for redesigning labels, it also simplifies compliance by replacing a patchwork of state labeling rules with one federal standard. Businesses that donate food past its quality date would benefit from clearer legal protections.
Programs
Broader Impacts
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
3 articlesCongress tries again for food date label uniformity
Reps. Chellie Pingree and Dan Newhouse introduced the Food Date Labeling Act on Aug. 15, following a companion bill by Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Rick Scott on July 30. The legislation would standardize phrases used on date labels for foods sold in the U.S. to reduce waste.
Bipartisan Food Date Labeling Act Introduced
The bill would establish two clear, standardized labels: 'Best If Used By' for quality and 'Use By' for safety. This is the first time there is a Republican co-sponsor in the Senate—Senator Rick Scott—making the FDLA a truly bipartisan bill.
California Passes First-of-its-Kind Legislation Standardizing 'Best By' Dates on Food; Bans 'Sell By'
California Assembly Bill 660 standardizes the use of 'Best If Used By' and 'Use By' dates on food labels. This state-level reform is the first mandatory date labeling change in the country, aligning with proposed federal standards to reduce consumer confusion.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Food Date Labeling Act of 2025
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(6)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.