Summary of Assembly Joint Resolution No. 10

The document outlines the push for the federal Food Date Labeling Act of 2023, focusing on reducing consumer confusion and food waste through standardized date labeling. Here’s a summary of the key points:

Introduction and Purpose:

• Introduced by: Assembly Member Irwin with Senator Rubio as a coauthor on August 24, 2023, during the California Legislature’s 2023–2024 regular session.
• Objective: Urge the President and Congress of the United States to enact the federal Food Date Labeling Act of 2023.

Key Points:

• Issue Addressed:
  • Consumer Confusion: Current varied date labels lead to misunderstandings about food safety and edibility.
  • Food Waste: Over one-third of food in the U.S. is wasted, costing approximately $444 billion annually and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
• Environmental and Financial Impact:
  • Food Waste Reduction: Standardizing date labels could prevent 800,000 tons of food from ending up in landfills and incineration each year.
  • Financial Benefit: Potential net benefit of $3.55 billion annually through reduced food waste.
• California’s Efforts:
  • Voluntary Standard: California implemented a voluntary date labeling standard in 2017 through Assembly Bill 954.
  • Waste Reduction Strategy: The state aims to reduce organic waste disposal and enhance surplus food rescue to cut methane production.
• Federal Legislation:
  • Need for Standardization: While some food brands and industry associations have adopted simplified date labeling phrases, there is a call for a national standard to accelerate these efforts.
• Broader Goals:
  • Alignment with National Objectives: Supports the U.S. goal to halve food loss and waste by 2030.

The resolution emphasizes that a federal standard would build upon existing state-level efforts and provide a unified approach to reducing food waste and enhancing consumer clarity.

Source: https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AJR10/id/3009890/California-2023-AJR10-Amended.html##~https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AJR10/2023##~https://legiscan.com/CA/bill/AJR10/2023

Region: United States