“When in doubt, throw it out?” The problem is, consumers in doubt throw out 30 to 40 percent of the food they buy, often because the 15 or more variations on product date codes create more confusion than clarity. The Grocery Manufacturers Association wants to change that. Their joint product code dating initiative clearly differentiates true perishables from foods that can be safely eaten beyond the date of optimal freshness. Watch the entire webinar here: http://videos.brandsquare.com/watch/sFp1VYMgdrvC6cgazeZomN

1. June
15,
2017
Standardizing
Product
Date
Labels:
a
GMA-­‐FMI
Ini<a<ve

2. GMA-­‐FMI
Date
Labeling
Ini<a<ve
I.
Background
II.
Address
Consumer
Confusion
III.
Ini<a<ve
&
Rollout
IV.
Next
Steps

3. II.
Addressing
Consumer
Confusion

4. III.
Date
Label
Standardiza<on
¤ Streamline
10+
phrases
to
just
2:
Ø “BEST
If
Used
By”
to
indicate
product
quality
Ø “USE
By”
for
highly
perishable/food
safety
concern
over
<me
¤ Voluntary
na<onal
standard
¤ Consumer
tested
¤ Phase-­‐In.
Goal
of
broad
industry
adop<on
by
summer,
2018

6. III.
Date
Label
Standardiza<on-­‐
Rollout
¤ Media
outreach
¤ Broad
support-­‐
NGO,
lawmakers,
academia
&
other
stakeholders

7. IV.
Next
Steps
¤ More
guidance
on
“USE
By”
¤ Broad
industry
outreach
¤ Consumer
educa<on
campaign

9. Ques<ons?
Meghan
Stasz
Senior
Director,
Sustainability,
GMA