Bill > S567

This bill aims to decrease food waste by standardizing the date labeling of food. It establishes a "quality date" and a "safety date" for ready-to-eat food products. The quality date is a voluntary date intended to communicate to consumers when the quality of the product may begin to deteriorate, even if the product is still safe to consume. The safety date is a mandatory label for ready-to-eat products that are deemed high-risk, and it signifies the end of the estimated shelf life after which the product may pose a health safety risk. The bill gives the Commissioner of Public Health the authority to establish criteria for determining high-risk ready-to-eat products and to list or exempt certain products from the safety date requirement. The bill also prohibits requirements that differ from or add to the date labeling requirements established in the bill.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Health and Social Services

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S567