Food waste minimisation via dairy date and storage labelling: A comparative review of regulations and industry guidance across five countries

Food waste (FW) is a global concern. Dairy products, including milk, cheese, and yoghurt are consistently identified as high-impact contributors to FW across high-income countries. In Australia, these products are significant contributors to landfill waste within the consumption sector. Evidence suggests that consumer confusion over labelling conventions, particularly storage communications, directions for use, and date marking, contributes to unnecessary disposal of dairy products. This review examined Australian regulations and industry and non-profit guidance for storage communications and date labelling of dairy products with respect to FW minimisation, and compared these frameworks with those in New Zealand, the European Union, United Kingdom, and the United States. Across all jurisdictions, labelling standards primarily aim to ensure food safety and product suitability, with FW reduction largely outside the scope of regulatory bodies. This reflects a broader tension between protecting consumers from potential food safety risks and encouraging practices that minimise FW. Although industry and non-profit bodies frequently provide supplementary guidance intended to support FW reduction, this advice is often inconsistent, limited in scope, and non-binding. While some initiatives, such as WRAP in the United Kingdom, offer more comprehensive models, responsibility for leading such harmonisation efforts remains unclear. Findings highlight the need for clear and consistent storage and date-labelling information to reduce consumer confusion and avoidable dairy waste. Clarifying the roles of regulatory, industry and non-profit stakeholders, and integrating FW mitigation more explicitly into policy and regulatory frameworks, could support more effective and harmonised labelling practices in Australia and internationally. • Storage communications and date labelling conventions may impact food waste. • Food waste considerations are beyond the scope of labelling regulatory bodies. • Inconsistent, unclear, or non-binding labelling guidance contributes to consumer confusion. • Harmonised storage and date labels are vital to cutting avoidable dairy waste. • Roles and responsibility for leading FW-oriented labelling reform is unclear.