If you bought some candy months ago but never ate it, how can you tell whether it's still safe to eat? The easiest way is to check the "expiration date  " printed on the wrapper. If that date has already passed, you're likely to throw the candy away. But is that really necessary? According to a new report from the US Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), tons of food is wasted each year, largely because people don't fully understand what expiration dates, or "use-by dates", actually mean. Food dating was introduced in 1970s because customers wanted more information about the things that they were eating. When they first showed up, use-by dates were only supposed to indicate freshness because producers wanted their products to be tasted in their best conditions. But the truth is that these dates aren't related to the risk of food poisoning or food-born illness, according to Time News. However, most customers misinterpreted use-by dates and related them to the safety of the food, and they still largely do now. Eggs, for example, can still be eaten three to five weeks after purchase even though the use-by date is much earlier. When their use-by dates pass, strawberry juice may lose its red color and biscuits may lose their crunch , but they are not harmful. "It's a confusing subject, the difference between food quality and food safety," said Jena Roberts, vice president of National Food Lab, a US food testing company. "Even in the food industry I have colleagues who get confused." This is why scientists are calling for a standard explanation to be printed following the use-by dates. "We want this to be clearly communicated so customers are not misinterpreting the date and contributing to a lot of waste," said Dana Gunders, a staff scientist with the NRDC. But this won't be a mistake that is easy to correct since people have believed it for so long. Another problem is that the quality levels of different foods change differently-some are still eatable long after their use-by date while others are not. As a result, food industry officials are now thinking of changing the use-by date to a date indicating when food is most likely to throw away. Scientists are calling for a standard explanation to be printed together with the use-by dates because  _  .
Most consumers often misunderstand use-by dates use-by dates are not helpful or reliable more consumers get worried about food safety the quality level of different foods changes differently