Overview
- The law, which took effect July 1, 2026, bans consumer-facing "sell by" labels and requires manufacturers selling in California to use "Best if Used By" for quality or "Use By" for safety.
- Retailers and manufacturers are updating labeling systems and will sell through existing inventory with old labels over the coming months rather than remove it immediately.
- Advocates and food banks say the change responds to widespread public confusion from more than 50 different date phrases and could stop people from discarding still-safe food.
- Federal agencies and studies estimate date-label confusion drives a large share of waste — the FDA has tied date labels to nearly 20% of national food waste and California discards about 6 million tons of unexpired food yearly.
- The new law adds momentum to similar state bills and a bipartisan federal proposal in Congress that would create a national standard and further simplify labels for consumers.