California has taken a major step toward reducing food waste with the passage of Assembly Bill 660 (AB 660), a landmark food labeling law that standardizes expiration-date language on packaged foods. The law is designed to eliminate consumer confusion by replacing a wide variety of date labels with two simple, easy-to-understand phrases.
For years, grocery shoppers have encountered dozens of different labels on food packaging, including "Sell By," "Best Before," "Best If Used By," "Expires On," and many others. Because these terms were never standardized across the food industry, many consumers mistakenly believed they indicated food safety. As a result, millions of pounds of perfectly edible food have been thrown away every year.
California's new law aims to solve that problem by creating a consistent labeling system that helps consumers make informed decisions while reducing unnecessary food waste.
Why "Sell-By" Dates Are Being Eliminated
One of the most significant changes under AB 660 is the prohibition of consumer-facing "Sell By" dates on packaged foods.
A "Sell By" date was originally intended for grocery stores—not shoppers. It helps retailers manage inventory and rotate stock so older products are sold first. It was never designed to tell consumers when food becomes unsafe to eat.
Unfortunately, many shoppers interpreted the "Sell By" date as an expiration date and routinely discarded food that remained fresh and safe for days or even weeks afterward. This misunderstanding has contributed to enormous amounts of avoidable household food waste across the United States.
Under the new law, retailers may still use coded inventory information for internal stock management, but consumer packaging can no longer display "Sell By" as a date label.
Standardized Date Labels
California now requires manufacturers to use only two standardized phrases for packaged foods sold to consumers.
Best if Used By
This phrase indicates quality, not safety. It tells consumers that the product is expected to have its best flavor, texture, and overall quality before that date. In many cases, food remains perfectly safe to eat after the "Best if Used By" date, although some quality characteristics may gradually decline.
Manufacturers may also use:
- Best if Used by
- Best if Used or Frozen by
Both phrases communicate that freezing the product before the quality date can help preserve freshness.
Use By
This phrase is reserved for products where the date relates to food safety. Consumers should pay close attention to a "Use By" date because it indicates when the manufacturer recommends consuming or freezing the product for safety reasons.
Manufacturers may also use:
- Use by
- Use by or Freeze by
This standardized wording makes it much easier for shoppers to distinguish between quality recommendations and genuine food safety guidance.
Important Exemptions
Not every food product falls under the new labeling requirements.
The law specifically exempts:
- Infant formula
- Eggs
These products already follow separate federal or state labeling regulations designed specifically for their unique safety and handling requirements.
Benefits for Consumers
The new labeling system offers several important advantages.
First, it reduces confusion by replacing dozens of inconsistent date labels with only two standardized phrases. Consumers no longer need to guess whether a date relates to product quality or food safety.
Second, families may save money by throwing away less food. Many foods remain perfectly edible after their "Best if Used By" date, allowing households to reduce unnecessary waste and stretch their grocery budgets.
Third, the law encourages consumers to rely on common sense in addition to date labels. Proper refrigeration, safe food handling, and checking the appearance, smell, and texture of food remain important parts of determining freshness.
Environmental Impact
Reducing food waste also benefits the environment.
Food waste is one of the largest contributors to landfill methane emissions, a powerful greenhouse gas. When edible food is discarded unnecessarily, valuable resources—including water, farmland, energy, labor, and transportation—are wasted as well.
By helping consumers better understand food date labels, California hopes to keep millions of pounds of edible food out of landfills each year while conserving natural resources.
Implementation of the Law
The labeling requirements apply to packaged food manufactured or packaged for sale in California. Food manufacturers, distributors, and retailers are updating their packaging and inventory systems to comply with the new standards.
As products with the new labels gradually replace older packaging, consumers will begin seeing fewer "Sell By" dates and more consistent "Best if Used By" and "Use By" labels on store shelves.
A Step Toward Smarter Food Choices
California's AB 660 represents an important effort to simplify food labeling while reducing unnecessary waste. By eliminating confusing "Sell By" dates and replacing them with clear, standardized language, the law helps consumers understand the difference between food quality and food safety.
For households, the result is greater confidence when making decisions about the food they purchase, store, and consume. For the environment, it means less edible food entering landfills. And for families looking to get the most value from their grocery budgets, clearer labels can help prevent perfectly good food from being thrown away too soon.
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