Confused by cryptic “sell by” dates on your groceries? Relief is on the horizon for California shoppers! In a significant move to address the growing issue of food waste, the state has enacted a ban on these misleading food packaging labels and has implemented clearer labeling standards, enabling consumers to make more informed decisions about food freshness. Read on to learn more about this new California law and discover how it helps consumers decide when food is still safe to eat.
What Is Assembly Bill 660?
Signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom, Assembly Bill 660 aims to reduce food waste by standardizing label dates on packaged foods. Proposed by Democratic Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, the new legislation covers the following key points.
1. Labeling Changes
The law prohibits the use of vague labels that can confuse consumers regarding the freshness and safety of food products, making California the first state in the United States to ban misleading “sell by” dates on packaged foods. “Sell by” labels often lead consumers to discard food prematurely, even though it is still safe for consumption.
2. New Labeling Standards
The law introduces clearer labeling standards intended to help consumers better understand when food is still safe to eat, thereby reducing unnecessary food waste. Under this new legislation, effective July 1st, 2026, manufacturers will be mandated to use the phrases “Best if Used By” to indicate peak quality and “Use By” for product safety. Recommended by federal agencies, this approach doesn’t apply to eggs, beer, and other malt beverages.
Currently, there are over 50 different date labels used across various products, which cause confusion for consumers and result in nearly 20% of the nation’s food waste, according to the Food and Drug Administration. In California alone, approximately 6 million tons of edible food are thrown away each year, as reported by the Associated Press.
3. Focus on Food Waste
California has set a goal to reduce food waste by 75% by 2025. Assembly Bill 660 is part of broader efforts to address the environmental impact of food waste, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
4. Consumer Empowerment
By providing clearer guidelines, the law aims to empower consumers to make informed choices, ultimately helping to ensure that perfectly good food does not end up in landfills. In addition to that, the law also helps keep money in consumers’ pockets, as they won’t throw away food that is still safe to eat.
“Having to wonder whether our food is still good is an issue that we all have struggled with,” said Irwin. “[The new law] is a monumental step to keep money in the pockets of consumers while helping the environment and the planet.”
Will California’s Food Labeling Law Set a National Precedent?
California’s new food labeling law emerges at a time when similar initiatives across the U.S. are stalled at the federal level. Despite this recent win for California consumers, finalizing the new law proved to be a challenging endeavor as state lawmakers and advocates had spent the past decade attempting to make the legislation official.
Unbeknown to many, a prior effort failed to reach the governor’s desk in 2016, and although former Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill in 2017 to implement a voluntary uniform-labeling protocol, adherence was minimal, with only a handful of companies following the honor system.
“Widespread implementation that was essentially committed to by the industry wasn’t happening,” said Erica Parker from Californians Against Waste, a sponsor of the then-bill. “Food waste rates are not decreasing; they’re increasing.”
Supporters of the new California law are optimistic that it could pave the way for updated food labeling standards throughout the U.S. However, it remains uncertain whether this legislation and California’s significant market influence will compel companies to standardize food labeling across all products nationwide.
“California has such a large market share that we do think this will push manufacturers,” said Nina Sevilla with the Natural Resources Defense Council, who also sponsored the then-bill. “The hope is that California serves as a model either for other states or ultimately to push action at the federal level.”