How New Sell-By Dates Will Affect You

Introduced by Senator Vogel as Senate Bill 434, Act 62 amends Title 3 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in food protection, providing for both milk sell-by date and best-by date labeling. Prior to the amendment, milk followed a 17-day milk code that caused grocers and consumers to throw milk away after the 17-day sell-by date was reached. This caused viable milk to go to waste as food safety practices have proven to extend milk shelf life upward of 21 days.

With laboratory testing, dairy processors can now seek approval from the PA Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Food Safety to label milk with best-by dates that more appropriately reflect shelf life on a case by case basis.

Milk shelf life dating is not considered a food safety issue by FDA or state regulatory authorities.

Prior to Act 62, Pennsylvania milk was at a competitive disadvantage on store shelves, as out of state milk, extended shelf life milks and plant-based beverages printed longer codes in accordance to their state regulations. With open codes, choosing Pennsylvania dairy becomes an easy choice for consumers for both freshness and locality.

Pennsylvania ranks 7th nationally in total milk production, with nearly 520,000 cows producing more than 10.6 billion pounds of milk annually. The industry supports 53,300 jobs and contributes $14.1 billion to the state's economy.