Statistics show that in the U.S. alone 66 million metric tons of food is wasted each year, with about 40 million metric tons ending up in landfills. This is a staggering 30 to 40 percent of the overall food supply and represents the largest component in landfills, contributing significantly to harmful methane emissions that accelerate climate change.
Understanding when food should really be discarded is crucial. The sell-by dates often lead consumers to prematurely throw away food items that can be safe to eat post the listed date, leading to unnecessary waste.
Despite the urgency of food waste reduction, there are no federal or state regulations beyond those pertaining to baby food. This lack of guidance means consumers often err on the side of caution, discarding food prematurely based on misleading dates.
According to Harvard Law School's Food Law and Policy Clinic, 90 percent of consumers tend to discard food before it has spoiled, often driven by confusion over sell-by and use-by dates.
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