Can Walmart's food labels make a dent in America's $29bn food waste problem?

The retail giant will now require its suppliers to use a new date label designed to ease safety worries and prevent food from being tossed away too early

If you've ever paused before tossing a can of food in the trash after seeing the date on the label, you're not alone.

Whether it's because of habit, cultural norms or a genuine fear of getting sick, most consumers err on the safe side and avoid foods that have passed the date stamped on their labels. As a result, an enormous amount of the food that goes uneaten around the world gets wasted at home. Confusion over labels leads Americans to throw away an estimated $29bn worth of still edible food each year.

Related: How the US can solve its multibillion food waste problem - report

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