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New food labeling will eliminate consumer confusion over expiration dates

You’re standing in your kitchen with the refrigerator door open, staring down at a gallon of milk, spending some serious time debating if it’s too far past the “sell by” date to pour on your morning Mini-Wheats. You reluctantly go in for the dreaded sniff test. But uneasiness no more, thanks to a new industry-wide effort to reduce consumer confusion about product date labels. Grocery manufacturers and retailers have joined together to adopt standard wording on packaging about the quality and safety of products. Currently, more than 10 different date labels on packages—such as Sell By, Use By, Expires On, Best Before, Better if Used By or Best By—can result in confused consumers discarding a safe or usable product after the date on the package. The new voluntary initiative streamlines these labels down to just two standard phrases. “BEST If Used By” describes product quality, where the product may not…