The California Department of Food and Agriculture will ban food manufacturers’ use of “sell by” labels on grocery items, replacing the long-used phrase with standardized date labels aimed at reducing confusion and cutting food waste.
Food producers and retailers selling packaged food may no longer use “sell by” dates on labels visible to consumers, starting Wednesday. Instead, products labeled for quality must either use “best if used by” or “best if frozen by,” while products carrying safety-related dates must use “use by” or “freeze by.” Eggs and infant formula are exempt from the law’s requirements.
The measure, Assembly Bill 660, was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) in 2024 after lawmakers argued the variety of food date labels had become a major source of consumer confusion. More than 50 different phrases, including “sell by,” “best before,” and “freshest by,” have been used on food packaging despite having no uniform national standing.
Supporters say many shoppers mistakenly interpret “sell by” dates as expiration dates, even though the label was originally intended to help retailers manage inventory rather than indicate food safety. The misunderstanding contributes to households discarding food that is safe to eat.
According to the state’s Department of Resources, Recycling, and Recovery, about 2.5 billion meals of unspoiled food are thrown out each year, making up about 48% of the waste in the Golden State’s landfills. Additionally, food waste decomposing in landfills accounts for 41% of the state’s methane emissions.
The Department of Food and Agriculture said the mass food waste hurts food banks and “impacts Californians’ wallets by throwing good food away too soon.”
Retailers may continue to use coded inventory dates that are visible or easily understood by consumers for stock rotation purposes. The law also allows manufacturers and stores to sell through products produced before July 1 that do not yet comply with the new labeling law.
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Newsom is the first governor to sign such legislation into law, but the move could influence labeling practices in other states because manufacturers often use uniform packaging nationwide. Similar legislation has been approved by the New York legislature and awaits action from Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY). Lawmakers in Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and South Carolina have also proposed legislation addressing food labeling, but it has not passed thus far.
Federal agencies have recommended standardized food date labeling for years, and legislation to establish a national standard has been introduced in Congress. The only product regulated federally with date labels is infant formula.