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As awareness grows around the world about the problem of food waste, one culprit in particular is drawing scrutiny: 鈥渂est before鈥� labels.

Manufacturers have used the labels for decades to estimate peak freshness. Unlike 鈥渦se by鈥� labels, which are found on perishable foods like meat and dairy, 鈥渂est before鈥� labels have nothing to do with safety and may encourage consumers to throw away food that鈥檚 perfectly fine to eat.

鈥淭hey read these dates and then they assume that it鈥檚 bad, they can鈥檛 eat it, and they toss it, when these dates don鈥檛 actually mean that they鈥檙e not edible or they鈥檙e not still nutritious or tasty,鈥� said Patty Apple, a manager at Food Shift, an Alameda, California, nonprofit that collects and uses expired or imperfect foods.

To tackle the problem, major U.K. chains like Waitrose, Sainsbury鈥檚, and Marks & Spencer recently removed 鈥渂est before鈥� labels from prepackaged fruit and vegetables. The European Union is expected to announce a revamp to its labeling laws by the end of this year; it鈥檚 considering abolishing 鈥渂est before鈥� labels altogether.

In the United States, there鈥檚 no similar push to scrap 鈥渂est before鈥� labels. But there is growing momentum to standardize the language on date labels to help educate buyers about food waste, including a push from big grocers and food companies and bipartisan legislation in Congress.

鈥淚 do think that the level of support for this has grown tremendously,鈥� said Dana Gunders, executive director of ReFED, a New York-based nonprofit that studies food waste.

The United Nations estimates that 17% of global food production is wasted each year; most of that comes from households. In the U.S., as much as 35% of food available goes uneaten, ReFED says. That adds up to a lot of wasted energy 鈥� including the water, land, and labor that goes into the food production 鈥� and higher greenhouse gas emissions when unwanted food goes into landfills.

There are many reasons food gets wasted, from large portion sizes to customers鈥� rejection of imperfect produce. But ReFED estimates that 7% of U.S. food waste 鈥� or 4 million tons annually 鈥� is due to consumer confusion over 鈥渂est before鈥� labels.

Date labels were widely adopted by manufacturers in the 1970s to answer consumers鈥� concerns about product freshness. There are no federal rules governing them, and manufacturers are allowed to determine when they believe their products will taste best. Only infant formula is required to have a 鈥渦se by鈥� date in the U.S.

Since 2019, the Food and Drug Administration 鈥� which regulates around 80% of U.S. food 鈥� has recommended that manufacturers use the labels 鈥渂est if used by鈥� for freshness and 鈥渦se by鈥� for perishable goods, based on surveys showing that consumers understand those phrases.

But the effort is voluntary, and the language on labels continues to vary widely, from 鈥渟ell by鈥� to 鈥渆njoy by鈥� to 鈥渇reshest before.鈥� A survey released in June by researchers at the University of Maryland found at least 50 different date labels used on U.S. grocery shelves and widespread confusion among customers.

鈥淢ost people believe that if it says 鈥榮ell by,鈥� 鈥榖est by鈥�, or 鈥榚xpiration,鈥� you can鈥檛 eat any of them. That鈥檚 not actually accurate,鈥� said Richard Lipsit, who owns a Grocery Outlet store in Pleasanton, California, that specializes in discounted food.

Mr. Lipsit said milk can be safely consumed up to a week after its 鈥渦se by鈥� date. Ms. Gunders said canned goods and many other packaged foods can be safely eaten for years after their 鈥渂est before鈥� date. The FDA suggests consumers look for changes in color, consistency, or texture to determine if foods are all right to eat.

鈥淥ur bodies are very well equipped to recognize the signs of decay, when food is past its edible point,鈥� Ms. Gunders said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e lost trust in those senses and we鈥檝e replaced it with trust in these dates.鈥�

Some U.K. grocery chains are actively encouraging customers to use their senses. Morrisons removed 鈥渦se by鈥� dates from most store-brand milk in January and replaced them with a 鈥渂est before鈥� label. Co-op, another grocery chain, did the same to its store-brand yogurts.

It鈥檚 a change some shoppers support. Ellie Spanswick, a social media marketer in Falmouth, England, buys produce, eggs, and other groceries at farm stands and local shops when she can. The food has no labels, she said, but it鈥檚 easy to see that it鈥檚 fresh.

鈥淭he last thing we need to be doing is wasting more food and money because it has a label on it telling us it鈥檚 past being good for eating,鈥� Ms. Spanswick said.

But not everyone agrees. Ana Wetrov of London, who runs a home renovation business with her husband, worries that without labels, staff might not know which items should be removed from shelves. She recently bought a pineapple and only realized after she cut into it that it was rotting in the middle.

鈥淲e have had dates on those packages for the last 20 years or so. Why fix it when it鈥檚 not broken?鈥� Ms. Wetrov said.

Some U.S. chains 鈥� including Walmart 鈥� have shifted their store brands to standardized 鈥渂est if used by鈥� and 鈥渦se by鈥� labels. The Consumer Brands Association 鈥� which represents big food companies like General Mills and Dole 鈥� also encourages members to use those labels.

鈥淯niformity makes it much more simple for our companies to manufacture products and keep the prices lower,鈥� said Katie Denis, the association鈥檚 vice president of communications.

In the absence of federal policy, states have stepped in with their own laws, frustrating food companies and grocers. Florida and Nevada, for example, require 鈥渟ell by鈥� dates on shellfish and dairy, and Arizona requires 鈥渂est by鈥� or 鈥渦se by鈥� dates on eggs, according to Emily Broad Lieb, director of the Food Law and Policy Clinic at Harvard Law School.

The confusion has led some companies, like Unilever, to support legislation currently in Congress that would standardize U.S. date labels and ensure that food could be donated to rescue organizations even after its quality date. At least 20 states currently prohibit the sale or donation of food after the date listed on the label because of liability fears, Ms. Lieb said.

Clearer labeling and donation rules could help nonprofits like Food Shift, which trains chefs using rescued food. It even makes dog treats from overripe bananas, recovered chicken fat, and spent grain from a brewer, Ms. Apple said.

鈥淲e definitely need to be focusing more on doing these small actions like addressing expiration date labels, because even though it鈥檚 such a tiny part of this whole food waste issue, it can be very impactful,鈥� Ms. Apple said.

This story was reported by The Associated Press.聽AP writers Kelvin Chan and Courtney Bonnell in London and Associated Press video journalist Terry Chea in Alameda, California contributed to this report.