Product Code Dating

Grocery manufacturers and retailers have joined together to streamline and standardize the wording accompanying the date labels on packages to offer greater clarity regarding the quality and safety of products. 

Product Label Vocabulary

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  • “BEST If Used By” or “BEST If Used or Freeze By” quality phrasing will indicate to consumers that after the specified date, the product may not taste or perform as expected but is safe to use or consume. For example, the quality of the product taste or texture may have diminished slightly or it may not have the full vitamin content indicated on the package.
  • “USE By” or “USE or Freeze By” safety phrasing will inform customers that these products should be consumed on or before the date listed on the package. The product should not be consumed after the date on the package due to the product’s perishable nature, and the product should be disposed of. This date label is for perishable products with potential safety implications or material degradation of critical performance, such as nutrition.
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QUESTIONS?

For questions or more information, please contact the Executive Director of the FMI Foundation, David Fikes.

Contact David
Board Policy Statement

The FMI Board adopted a policy statement on Product Code Date Labeling in 2017. 

View the Policy Statement

FMI Product Date Labeling Resources

Product Date labeling White Paper

Product Code Date Labeling: Crucial Initiative to Reduce Consumer Confusion

This white paper provides perspective, information and initiative resources for the Food Marketing Institute/Grocery Manufacturers Association/Trade Partner Alliance (TPA) initiative on Produce Code Date Labeling.
Date Labeling Implementation guide

Product Code Date Labeling Implementation Guide

This document provides implementation guidelines for the Trading Partner Alliance (TPA) aligned voluntary industry standard nomenclature for Product Code Date Labels.
Technology Leadership

Leadership

This new industry-wide effort is launched by the Grocery Manufacturers Association and Food Marketing Institute as part of the Trading Partner Alliance (TPA) will help reduce consumer confusion over dates on the product label and potentially help consumers avoid unnecessary food waste. Broad industry adoption of this new voluntary standard will occur over time so companies have flexibility to make the changes in a way that ensures consistency across their product categories and doesn’t create unintentional food waste.