School Shoppers About Shelf-Life Labeling

The first broad appearance of shelf-life labeling of food products was in the U.S during the 1950s. Now in the European Union, shelf-life labeling is mandatory for food items. “Use by” states the date after which the item might no longer be safe to consume. “Best by” gives the date after which a food is likely to lose its desirable sensory qualities, even if it is still safe to eat. Shoppers might also see “sell by” or “expiration date.”
     In studies using actual food items, researchers at Poznań University of Economics and Business in Poland saw examples of rational employment of the date labeling system. For example, people pay more attention to “use by” labels with products which carry safety risks of spoilage, such as fresh meats and dairy. “Best before” dates play a greater role with items where specific tastes and textures are highly important. People are wise enough to also smell and look at the food in deciding whether to consume it. With fresh produce, those, along with touch and sample tasting, generally dominate any shelf-life labeling.
     Still, the researchers saw apparently irrational use of the freshness dates, even when the implications of “use by” and “best before” are well understood. About one-third to more than one-half of consumers will eat food that is past its “use by” date. That risks food poisoning. And about one-quarter to more than one-half of consumers consider foods unsuitable for consumption when the posted “best before” date has passed. If the taste, smell, and look are still okay, this risks food waste.
     Food waste also can occur when your shoppers peruse the available packages of an item and then select the ones with the most distant dates. Left behind will be the packages closest to expiration, the ones most likely to become unsaleable.
     Facilitate proper use of the labeling by going beyond educating shoppers as to the meanings of various shelf-life terms. Educate them about how the different terms are best applied to different categories of foodstuffs. And emphasize that the smell, look, touch, and sample tasting are valuable. Setting freshness dates is a matter of best guesses.
     As to solving the perusing problem, consider advantages of Expiration Date Based Pricing, in which you lower the price of items as their expiration date approaches. Make a closer expiration date more attractive by pairing it with a discount.

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