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April 17, 2026 Clouds | 63°F
The 194th General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Bill S.1555 194th (Current)

An Act decreasing food waste by standardizing the date labeling of food

By Mr. Kennedy, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1555) of Edward J. Kennedy, Michael J. Barrett and Michael O. Moore for legislation to decrease food waste by standardizing the date labeling of food. Public Health.

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Bill Information

Presenter:
Edward J. Kennedy

Public Health

This legislation standardizes the date labeling of food in order to mitigate consumer confusion and thereby reduce food waste. It establishes two kinds of date labels, one for a "quality date" that communicates the date after which the quality of the product may begin to deteriorate even as the product may still be acceptable for consumption, and one for a "safety date" that applies to certain high-risk products and signifies the end of the estimated period of shelf life under any stated storage conditions, after which the product may pose a health safety risk. The bill also eliminates restrictions on the sale or donation of products whose quality date has passed.
* The bill summary was created by the Primary Sponsor of the bill; no committee of the General Court certifies the accuracy of its contents.

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