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S 2947 114th Congress Senate Health Administrative law and regulatory procedures Charitable contributions Consumer affairs Department of Agriculture Federal preemption Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food industry and services Food supply, safety, and labeling Meat Solid waste and recycling

Food Date Labeling Act of 2016

Introduced: May 18, 2016 Introduced by: Blumenthal, Richard Democratic · Connecticut See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 114th Congress ended
It never became law before the 114th Congress (2015–2016) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
May 18, 2016
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
May 18, 2016
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Food Date Labeling Act of 2016

This bill establishes requirements that: (1) address food waste that occurs when people throw out fresh food because of their confusion over the meaning of expiration dates on food labels and whether or not the food is still safe to eat, and (2) standardize quality date and safety date food labels. Producers, manufacturers, distributors, or retailers that place a date label on food packaging of a product (food labelers) must use the phrases "best if used by" to indicate food quality and the phrase "expires on" to warn of food that may be unsafe to eat after a specified date.

While labelers may voluntarily choose to include a quality date on packaging, they must include a safety date on ready-to-eat products.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish guidance for food labelers on how to determine quality dates and safety dates for food products.

No one may prohibit the sale, donation, or use of a product after the quality date for the product has passed.

USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services must educate consumers on the meaning of quality date and safety date food labels.

What's happening now May 18, 2016

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

 Related & companion bills 2
  • S 3108 Related bill Food Recovery Act of 2016
  • HR 5298 Identical bill Food Date Labeling Act of 2016
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 2947: Food Date Labeling Act of 2016. 114th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-2947/
MLA
"S. 2947: Food Date Labeling Act of 2016." 114th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-2947/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 2947, 114th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-2947/.
Markdown link
[S. 2947: Food Date Labeling Act of 2016](https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-2947/)
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