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How the expiration date on your food may change in Georgia
WASHINGTON - AUGUST 20: A customer scans the expiration date on gallons of milk sitting on a cooler shelf at a Safeway grocery store August 20, 2007 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
By Najja Parker
May 24, 2016Expiration date. Pull date. Best-by date. Best before date. Use-by date. Sell-by.
In Georgia, all of these phrases can be used to refer to the final date food products -- such as milk, eggs and shellfish -- can be sold through a grocery store or wholesaler. But if a new proposal by Congress becomes law, Georgia will have to scrap its rules for new ones.
The Food Date Labeling Act, proposed by Congress earlier this month, would create nationwide standards for food expiration-date labeling. Instead of dissecting the meaning of multiple tags, people would only have to keep an eye out for two: "Expires on," the date foods are no longer safe to consume; and "best if used by," the last date foods are at their freshest.
Georgia is one of 20 states whose food-labeling laws would be overridden if the legislation passes. The state's Department of Agriculture now requires a select group of foods, such as infant formula and refrigerated items, to use one of the several labels to denote expiration. For items that fall outside of that bunch, the expiration date acts a "guideline" for freshness.
Under the federal proposal "states can’t require different language,” Patricia Zettler, an associate professor at Georgia State University's Center for Law, Health and Society, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Like many consumers, Zettler said she admittedly uses the stamps to determine what items she should toss or keep.
"I look at those dates, and waste more foods that I ought," she said. “I will at least know what information is being conveyed to me by the dates, because the proposed bill would clarify them and maybe remove some of that ambiguity."
Timothy D. Lytton, a fellow professor at Georgia State, agreed. "There's a certain amount of confusion. Consumers don't know the difference (between the phrases)," he said.
Lytton said the changes would likely be regulated by the FDA, and manufacturers would have two years to apply them, according to the proposal. Although it is in the early stages, he said this is a great first step.
"I think it's significant that it has been introduced," he said. "It's not very controversial, and consumers are interested."
About the Author
Najja Parker is a multimedia journalist covering Black culture for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She is an engaging on-air talent, who has served as a host for the newsroom’s special projects and events, such as the movie premiere of “The South Got Something To Say,” a documentary chronicling the rise of Atlanta hip-hop.
