Congress·In Committee·S. 2541

Sens. Blumenthal and Scott Introduce Bill to Standardize Food Date Labels to Help Reduce Waste

Food Date Labeling Act of 2025

8 months ago·View on Congress.gov

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Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

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.

AgricultureEconomy Finance

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Broader Impacts

DomainScoreShort-termLong-termReversibilityConfidence

Score

Scores: -5 (harmful) to +5 (beneficial)Short-term: 0-2 yearsLong-term: 10-30 years

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jul 30, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Jul 30, 2025

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

2 years after enactment

New labeling rules and consumer education campaign launch

Within two years of becoming law, USDA and HHS must finalize regulations and begin teaching consumers what the new labels mean. Food companies start preparing their packaging updates.

2 years after enactment

Standardized date labels appear on food packages

All food products labeled after this date must use the new standard phrases — "BEST If Used By" for quality and "USE By" for safety. Shoppers will start seeing consistent wording across all grocery items.

Related News

3 articles

Feedstuffs·7 months ago

Congress 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.

BioCycle·7 months ago

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.

Food Safety Magazine·over 1 year ago

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.

Related Bills

1 bill

H.R. 4987Identical bill

Food Date Labeling Act of 2025

Aug 15 — Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.