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ANCHOR LEAD
WE ALL KNOW WHAT "EXPIRED BY" MEANS...AND IT'S EASY TO FIGURE OUT
"FREEZE BY". BUT NOW, THERE'S A WHOLE HOST OF NEW TERMS POPPING
UP ON FOOD LABELS THAT MAY LEAVE YOU WONDERING: DOES YOUR MAYONNAISE STILL
PASS MUSTER...SHOULD YOU CAN YOUR CANNED GOODS? HERE'S REPORTER________________________
WITH A HEADS UP! LABEL LESSON.
TRACK ONE Length: 09
SHOPPING AMERICA'S SUPERMARKETS: SO MANY CHOICES- AND NOW...SO MANY
FRESHNESS PHRASES RIGHT ON THE LABELS.
BEST BY... USE BY....ENJOY BY...WHAT DO THEY ALL MEAN?
SOT Length: 02
no key - shopper, Elizabeth Walsh
"It probably does confuse a lot of people."
TRACK TWO Length: 20
COME ON...HOW TOUGH CAN IT BE? LET'S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK:
THIS BOX OF CLEMENTINES SAYS 'PACKED ON THE 15TH' ... YOU'RE BASICALLY LEFT
TO FIGURE OUT HOW LONG THEY'RE GOOD FOR...
THIS BEER WAS "BORN ON" DEC. 22, 2004. HOW LONG BEFORE IT GOES FLAT?.
AND HOW ABOUT THIS LEMON JUICE- CAN IT STILL BE USED AFTER ITS 'BEST BY' DATE?
CONSUMER ADVOCATES SAY LEARNING LABELS CAN BE TOUGH.
SOT
KEY@: 34 Ilene Heller, Center for Science in the Public Interest
(Senior Staff Attorney)
"They're very confusing, in general. They started out as a quality date.
They really do not mean anything about safety at this time."
TRACK THREE Length: 08
THE CENTER FOR SCIENCE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST SAYS PEOPLE NEED A CLEAR CUT
WAY TO KNOW WHEN THEIR FOOD GOES FOUL... AND IS CALLING FOR A TWO TIER SYSTEM.
SOT
KEY @: 50 Ilene Heller, Center for Science in the Public Interest
(Senior Staff Attorney)
"They definitely need to put down an expiration date that refers to safety.
And they also need to have a 'use by' date for best quality. They need to
differentiate between quality and safety."
TRACK FOUR Length: 15
NOTE TO CLIENTS: see source information below
FOR NOW, THE U-S-D-A TUTORS YOU ON THE TERMS.
"SELL BY" INDICATES THE LAST DAY A PRODUCT SHOULD BE SOLD... NOT
THE LAST DAY IT CAN BE USED.
"BEST BY"... "USE BY"... OR "ENJOY BY" SHOWS
THE LAST RECOMMENDED DATE FOR PEAK QUALITY. BUT REMEMBER, PRODUCTS OFTEN HAVE
A SHELF LIFE AFTER THAT.
SOT Length: 05
no key - shopper- Elizabeth Walsh
"I think we have to be better educated with what those dates actually
mean."
TRACK FIVE Length: 13
NOTE TO CLIENTS: See source information below
AS A GUIDELINE. EXPERTS SAY CANNED GOODS ARE BEST IF USED WITHIN A YEAR.
AS FOR BEER? IT DEPENDS ON THE BREW, BUT FRESHNESS USUALLY VARIES FROM 4 TO
5 MONTHS.
OF COURSE, IF A PRODUCT IS PAST THE EXPIRATION DATE, DON'T EAT IT.
AND, IF YOU'RE NOT SURE...THE BEST ADVICE:
SOT Length: 02
Ilene Heller, Center for Science in the Public Interest
"When in doubt, throw it out."
ANCHOR TAG
WE CONTACTED THE U-S-D-A ABOUT THE FOOD LABEL TERMS. THE AGENCY TELLS US THAT
THE TERMS ARE MEANT AS A MEASURE OF FOOD QUALITY. AS FOR THE CENTER FOR SCIENCE
IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST'S CALL FOR A TWO-TIERED SYSTEM SEPARATING QUALITY AND
SAFETY, THE U-S-D-A TELLS US IT WOULD BE PREMATURE TO COMMENT ON THE C-S-P-I
REQUEST.
(additional tag information)
ONE OTHER NOTE: EXPERTS SAY IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SPECIFIC PRODUCT,
LOOK ON THE PACKAGE. SOMETIMES THERE IS AN EIGHT-HUNDRED NUMBER YOU CAN CALL.OR,
ASK YOUR GROCER.
SOURCE LIST
Ilene Heller
Senior Staff Attorney
Center for Science in the Public Interest
202-332-9110 (ext. 317)
SOURCE INFORMATION FOR TRACK FOUR
For more information on the date definitions, check out the USDA website at:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/Food_Product_Dating/index.asp
SOURCE INFORMATION FOR TRACK FIVE
Center for Science in the Public Interest;The Beverage Tasting Institute
CONTACT FOR USDA INFO IN TAG
Matthew Baun.
USDA/FSIS
(202) 720-9113
matthew.baun@fsis.usda.gov
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