Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. unsafe
    • ex. Washing vegetables with dirty water makes them unsafe for a salad.
  2. standardize
    • ex. The government will standardize road signs across the country so that people can understand them easily.
  3. an indicator
    • ex. The dark, heavy clouds in the sky were a clear indicator that a terrible storm was coming.
  4. a food bank
    • ex. Many families who lost their jobs during the economic crisis relied on a food bank for their weekly groceries.
  5. expire
    • ex. This carton of fresh milk will expire in two days.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Many families often argue about the dates on food packaging. Different labels on food confuse shoppers about whether an item is unsafe to eat or just old. To fix this confusion, California became the first state to standardize food labels. The new law aims to stop people from throwing away good food too early, which also helps the environment.

The new law will ban “sell by” labels on food packages because they are only for stores, not a safety guide. Instead, companies must use just two labels. They will use “Best if Used By,” to show when food tastes best, and “Use By” as an indicator for safety. Experts say old labels are a big reason why good food goes to the trash or is rejected by food banks.

Currently, there are over 50 different date labels, which can confuse shoppers into thinking their food will expire quickly. Grocery stores support the new change because it makes shopping simpler for everyone. Although old labels will still be on shelves for a few months, the new system is expected to reduce household food waste.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.
Photo Credits: The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Standardizing Food Safety Labels

  • Do you think standardizing food labels to just two options is a good idea? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Are the food labels in your country confusing to you, or are they easy to understand? Why do you say so? Discuss.
  • What do you usually do when the date on a food packaging in your fridge or cabinet has passed? Discuss.

Food Waste

  • Do you think food waste is a huge problem? Why do you say so? Discuss.
  • Do you think it could help cut food waste if grocery stores sell food at a lower price when it is about to expire? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • How is food waste seen in your country (ex. bad, people don’t care about it)? Discuss.