In 2017, some food experts scouring the dumpsters of North Buffalo came across a grim reality. Hoards of uneaten food were piled high in the landfills, some of them still smelling fresh, as per WIVB . Omelettes, pizzas, spaghetti, and whole sandwiches wrapped neatly in paper packaging. In the same year, a viral billboard brought to attention that an average American wastes “290 pounds of food a year.” The main reason behind this was the misunderstanding of food dating labels and the fear of getting sick upon eating expired food. These dot matrix digits printed on everything from milk cartons to frozen pizzas terrify people into eating them quickly or tossing them in their kitchen trash. This is just a big lie, experts write in Vox .
WIVB reported that almost 40% of food is going to waste in America while nearly 50 million people suffer from food insecurity. Food safety experts explained that the expiration dates that cause all this wastage are not “expiration” dates at all. The broader public’s misunderstanding of these labels leads not only to w asted food, but also wasted manufacturing revenue, wasted household income, and increasing food insecurity. Add to it all the natural resources used to create these food items, such as water. They get wasted too. The good news is, a basic understanding of these dating labels can resolve the entire muddle.