South Korea’s food expiration labeling system is set to change for the first time in 38 years, starting January, under a new policy measure to reduce food waste.

The revised bill on the food labeling and advertising act that passed last August replaces the current “sell-by” dates with “use-by” dates. Sell-by dates denote the time period in which a retailer must get its products off the shelves, while use-by dates tell consumers up to what point a product can be safely consumed, assuming it had been stored in the recommended conditions.

The current sell-by dates reflect only 60 to 70 percent of the period considered safe for consumption, while use-by dates reflect 80 to 90 percent.

As people usually throw out food products after the printed expiration date has passed, the new system could encourage customers to keep food for longer. 

“We hope that the new labeling system, launching next year, will help achieve carbon neutrality by decreasing food waste,” said Minister of Food and Drug Safety Oh Yu-kyoung on Tuesday while meeting with industry representatives.

Some stakeholders have complained that the implementation timeline for the new system is unfeasible, as firms would need to repackage all leftover stock by the end of December. Moreover, imported food products arriving in Korea in January but being produced at the end of December would be subject to the old laws during production but new laws upon arrival.

In response, the ministry has decided to grant a six-month transition period from January, so that producers and consumers can adapt to the new labeling system.

By Lee Seung-ku (seungku99@heraldcorp.com)