Public perspectives on food date labeling: implications for waste reduction and food safety policy

• Public comments on food date labels analyzed with text mining. • Eleven themes revealed confusion, clarity, waste, and trust issues. • Framework proposes standardization and education as key pathways. • Insights inform policies to reduce waste and protect from foodborne risks. Confusion about U.S. food date labels contributes to preventable waste and foodborne risk, yet real-world perspectives remain underexplored. This study reviewed and analyzed 744 unique public comments submitted to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 2024–2025 Request for Information using a multi-label text-mining approach. Eleven themes emerged; the most prevalent were Food Waste Concerns (56.85%), Support for Label Standardization (55.78%), Label Confusion (53.09%), and Clarity of Language/Suggestions (47.72%). A substantial share of comments also emphasized the Safety versus Quality Distinction (40.99%). Less frequently mentioned themes included Support for Proposal (21.51%), Economic Concerns (15.19%), and Consumer Education (13.71%). Accessibility of Labels (7.66%) and Cultural or Household Practices (7.39%) appeared in a smaller proportion of comments, and Trust in Government or Industry (6.85%) was the least common theme. Building on these findings and prior literature, this study proposes a policy-oriented conceptual framework that includes two pathways for policy action. The first pathway is standardization, emphasizing consistent, visible, and practicable labeling formats that differentiate quality from safety and account for product-category context. The second pathway is education, emphasizing evidence-informed, audience-tailored programs integrated with communication strategies and practical guidance. By situating public voices within ongoing regulatory debates, this study contributes to food policy discussions on labeling reform. The results carry international relevance given global efforts to harmonize date labeling standards and strengthen food system sustainability.