Relates to food safety and quality date labeling requirements

Showing the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.

• Democratic40
• Republican8

This bill has cosponsors from more than one party.

Shown in neutral colors by design; Agora is non-partisan.

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Michelle Hinchey says this is needed

Currently, there is no existing federal or state regulation surrounding food date labelling. Whilst the USDA provides some guidance, it is not enforceable, which creates consumer confusion around the meaning of terms such as "sell by", "best before", and "use by". This legislation regulates the use of these terms by requiring any food packing utilizing a food date label to use either "Use by" (refers to the safety date of a food item) or "Best if Used by" (refers to the quality date of a food item). Furthermore, a manufacturer must use a scientifically validated method for determining the date that is placed on the food packaging. Addressing food waste is of critical importance due to its far-reaching environmental, economic, and social implications. Food waste has signif- icantly contributed to the production of methane gases in landfills, with food waste being the single largest category of material placed in municipal landfills. Approximately 40% of food (largely still edible), ends up in landfills where it decomposes, and contributes to an esti- mated 58% of the fugitive methane emissions from municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills. Furthermore, food waste due to food date labeling is found to contribute to 7% of all consumer waste. Within New York, the DEC has estimated that landfills, largely as a result of organic waste, are responsible for nearly 5% of New York's greenhouse gas emissions and in 2014, 58% of the state's methane emissions. Within New York, the DEC has estimated that if we diverted food waste from landfills, a reduction of more than 120,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents could be achieved each year, highlighting the significant impact food waste has on meeting our climate goals and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Furthermore, by rescuing just 5% of the food that could be diverted from landfills could cause food banks to increase the amount of food available by 20% for those who are food insecure. Reducing the amount of edible food ending up in landfills, and addressing food waste at its source plays a critical role in achieving these goals. This is an issue that goes beyond environmental impacts by financially costing American families $1500 annually from food waste due to confusion from date labels. All of this wasted food is valued at $444 billion, or about 2% of the U.S. GDP and is more than enough to feed every American experiencing hunger, yet 1 in 8 Americans are food inse- cure. Food banks and food distribution centers would also be able to rescue more food, reduce waste and reach more New Yorkers in need. ReFed has conducted research into potential solutions and the associated costs and benefits of implementing and finding by regulating food date labels and found that there are no upfront or operating costs associated with regulating food date labels for manufacturers, retailers or the food service industry. By taking action now, we can make significant strides in reducing greenhouse gas emissions to meet our CLCPA goals, saving billions in economic value, and improving food security for millions of Americans.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.