The Hidden Environmental Cost of Expired Consumer Product Goods

In the United States, approximately 30-40% of the food supply is wasted annually, which translates to roughly 103 million tons of food waste, according to Earth.Org. 

Food Waste and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

In the world of Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), companies often face the challenge of managing short code inventory—products that are nearing their printed expiry dates. In reality, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that most shelf-stable foods are safe indefinitely. Despite many of these items being safe and consumable months or even years beyond that date, they are frequently classified as expiry products and removed from shelves or distribution. This practice results in large quantities of excess product being discarded, contributing to severe environmental impacts.

When food and beverage products are prematurely discarded, they often end up in landfills. There, they decompose anaerobically, releasing methane—a greenhouse gas significantly more potent than carbon dioxide. Food waste contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, with the amount of wasted food having a similar climate footprint to the entire U.S. aviation industry, according to Food Forward. CPG companies, despite producing high-quality goods, are forced by regulation or consumer perception to throw out millions of tons of expiry products each year, exacerbating climate change unnecessarily.

Water and Resource Waste

The production of food and beverages consumes vast amounts of water, energy, and raw materials. When excess product is thrown away, all the resources that went into producing, packaging, and transporting those goods are wasted as well. Food waste is the single largest component of municipal solid waste sent to landfills, notes the EPA. The financial cost of this waste is estimated to be over $218 billion per year, reports the Center for Biological Diversity. At the same time, millions of Americans experience food insecurity, meaning they don't have consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life, according to the USDA. 

Misunderstanding Expiry Dates

A significant driver of this waste is the confusion around expiry labeling. Terms like "best by," "sell by," and "use by" are not always standardized and can mislead retailers and consumers into thinking food is no longer safe. CPG companies, fearing liability or loss of brand reputation, often choose to dispose of short code inventory rather than risk selling products that, while perfectly good, are nearing these dates.

Missed Opportunities for Sustainability

Disposing of products is not a passive process. It involves reverse logistics—transporting products to landfills or waste management centers, which burns additional fossil fuels and adds to a company’s carbon footprint. Additionally, incineration of packaged goods, especially beverages in plastic or glass containers, can lead to further pollution and toxic byproducts.

Many consumer product goods companies are beginning to explore partnerships with food banks, donation networks, and secondary markets to reduce waste. The unnecessary disposal of excess product due to rigid expiry labeling not only wastes valuable resources but also contributes to environmental degradation at every level of the supply chain.