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Rep. Baird visits Food Finders to discuss Food Date Labeling Act

Representative Jim Baird visited Food Finders Food Bank to meet with representatives from Bread for the World and food bank staff regarding the Food Date Labeling Act (FDLA). Both Bread for the World and Food Finders are asking Rep. Baird to join his colleagues U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), and Sen.Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) by co-sponsoring this legislation.

Introduced last May, the FDLA is a bipartisan piece of legislation with the purpose of ending consumer confusion around food date labeling to ensure Americans do not throw away safe, usable food. According to the Zero Waste Coalition, “Contrary to public belief, most date labels indicate quality, not safety. Americans also mistakenly believe the federal government regulates date labels when in reality, manufacturers are given significant discretion over date labels.”

Along with fighting food waste, the FDLA aims to create a standard date labeling scheme, allow for greater food donations, and educate consumers on the meaning of labels. For Food Finders, the FDLA would decrease confusion regarding the food bank’s sorting process allowing us to collect and distribute more food items throughout our 16-county service area.

For more information on the FDLA here: https://zerofoodwastecoalition.org/action/standardize-national-date-labeling/