Healthy But Wasted: How Consumer Misconceptions About Expiration Dates Increase Food Waste and Eat Into Profit Margins

The fight against food waste has gained global momentum, with policies like California’s ban on “sell by” dates aiming to reduce unnecessary disposal. A new Journal of Marketing study finds that consumer perceptions about food healthiness play a surprisingly critical role in waste decisions. We discover that healthy foods are more likely to be discarded when nearing their expiration dates because consumers perceive them as more perishable—even when actual freshness is the same.

This misperception has wide-reaching consequences. Consumers demand steeper discounts for healthy foods close to expiration, are less likely to consume them, and ultimately waste them more often than less healthy options. These biases not only undermine sustainability efforts but also create challenges for retailers striving to balance inventory management and profit margins.

Misconceptions About “Freshness”

Our research reveals a fundamental disconnect in how consumers evaluate healthy and unhealthy foods. Healthy items are often perceived as “fresher,” which ironically leads to the belief that they spoil faster. This misconception influences decisions across the food value chain—from purchase to consumption to disposal. For example, consumers are less likely to eat a salad nearing its expiration date compared to a similarly aged bag of chips, believing the former to be riskier to their health.

Retailers face the ripple effects of these biases. Healthy foods nearing expiration often require deeper price cuts to incentivize purchase. This impacts profit margins and creates logistical challenges in maintaining stock levels.

Key Insights

Consumers Demand Larger Discounts for Healthy Foods Nearing Expiry
Healthy items close to their expiration dates are often perceived as riskier to consume, causing consumers to demand steeper price reductions compared to unhealthy alternatives.
Healthy Foods Are Wasted More Frequently
The belief that healthy foods spoil faster means consumers are more likely to discard these items before their expiration dates, leading to higher levels of waste.
Bias in Leftover Decisions
When presented with leftover foods, consumers are less inclined to eat healthy options and are quicker to dispose of them compared to less healthy choices, believing the former to be less safe.

Implications for Marketers and Policymakers

For marketers and retailers, these findings offer actionable insights. Addressing these misperceptions through better labeling and communication can help shift consumer behavior. For instance, emphasizing the durability and stability of healthy foods could mitigate concerns about spoilage. Campaigns that educate consumers about the true perishability of items—highlighting facts like the longevity of certain produce or the minimal risks of consuming healthy foods slightly past their expiration dates—can also play a crucial role.

In addition, current regulations often emphasize the removal of ambiguous date labels but overlook the underlying biases that drive consumer behavior. Policymakers can complement these efforts by promoting educational initiatives that challenge misconceptions about healthy food spoilage. Encouraging transparency in food labeling and creating consistent messaging around expiration dates can reduce waste across households and retail environments.

We also observe opportunities for innovation. Retailers could experiment with dynamic pricing models tailored to healthy foods nearing expiration, offering targeted discounts that maintain profitability while encouraging consumption. Additionally, grocery stores could partner with brands to develop packaging that reassures consumers about the freshness of healthy items, even as they approach their expiration dates.

Clearer Labeling: Retailers can introduce packaging that emphasizes the durability and stability of healthy foods, correcting the belief that they spoil faster.
Consumer Education Campaigns: Policymakers and industry leaders can develop initiatives that educate consumers about the true perishability of healthy foods, particularly those that appear fresher but have similar shelf lives to less healthy items.
Dynamic Pricing Models: Retailers might adopt targeted discount strategies that account for perceived risks while maintaining profitability.

Beyond waste reduction, these strategies align with broader goals of promoting healthy eating and sustainability. By making consumers feel more confident about purchasing and consuming healthy foods close to expiry, marketers and policymakers can drive both health and environmental benefits.