A small date printed on a carton, package, jar, or plastic wrap has quietly controlled millions of kitchen decisions for years. One glance at “sell by,” “best before,” “freshest by,” or “expires on,” and many shoppers choose the safest-looking option: toss it. California is now trying to end that confusion.
Starting July 1, 2026, Assembly Bill 660 changes how food date labels must appear on products sold in California. The goal is simple but powerful: help consumers understand the difference between food that may no longer taste its best and food that may no longer be safe to eat.
Under the new law, food makers that choose to place date labels on products must use clearer, standardized language. For quality, labels must say “best if used by” or “best if frozen by.” For safety, labels must say “use by” or “use or freeze by.” Consumer-facing “sell by” labels will no longer be allowed, except for coded versions used by retailers and distributors for inventory control.
Why California Is Getting Rid of “Sell By”
For shoppers, “sell by” has always sounded more serious than it really is. Many people read it as a warning that food becomes dangerous after that date. In reality, “sell by” was mainly designed for stores, not households. It helped retailers rotate stock, manage shelves, and decide when to move products.
The problem is that consumers saw the phrase and made a very human assumption: if the store should not sell it after that date, maybe I should not eat it either. That misunderstanding has a cost. Perfectly edible food ends up in trash cans, then garbage trucks, then landfills. Families lose money. Food banks lose potential donations. The environment absorbs the damage.
California’s new rule tries to cut through that fog with two clear lanes. “Best if used by” means quality. The item may be past its peak freshness, texture, flavor, or appearance, but that does not automatically mean it is unsafe. “Use by” means safety. That is the label shoppers should treat more seriously.
A Food Waste Problem Hiding in Plain Sight
The law is not just about neat packaging. It is about the enormous amount of food California throws away too soon. CalRecycle says organic waste makes up 48% of what California sends to landfills by weight, including 2.5 billion meals’ worth of unspoiled food every year. When food, yard waste, and other organic material break down in landfills, they release methane, a climate pollutant far stronger than carbon dioxide over the short term.
That means a confused shopper standing in front of the refrigerator is connected to a much bigger system. A half-used carton of milk, an unopened pack of sausage, a bag of salad, or a container of yogurt may seem small on its own. But when millions of households make the same cautious decision, the waste becomes massive.
The new law is California’s attempt to change that behavior before food becomes trash.
What Shoppers Will See in Stores
The change may not appear overnight. AB 660 applies to food produced on or after July 1, 2026. That means older products may still move through the supply chain with old labels until they are sold. Over time, however, shoppers should begin seeing fewer confusing phrases and more consistent wording. The most important takeaway is this: “best if used by” is not the same as “use by.”
A product past its “best if used by” date may still be usable if it has been stored properly and shows no signs of spoilage. It may simply be less crisp, less flavorful, or less fresh than it was at its peak.
A product marked “use by” carries a stronger safety message. That date is meant to help consumers know when a product should no longer be eaten. The law does not force every food company to put a date on every product. Instead, it regulates the wording companies must use when they decide to include a quality or safety date. It also does not cover certain items, including eggs, infant formula, beer, and other malt beverages.
The Hunger Angle Makes the Waste Harder to Ignore
The story becomes even more uncomfortable when food waste is placed beside food insecurity.
California grows a huge share of America’s fruits and vegetables, yet more than 1 in 5 Californians, about 8.8 million people, struggle with food insecurity, according to the California Association of Food Banks.
That contrast is hard to miss. In one part of the system, edible food is thrown away because labels are unclear. In another part, families are stretching meals, visiting food banks, and deciding which bills must wait.
No label reform can solve hunger by itself. But clearer dates can help reduce unnecessary waste and make it easier for households, retailers, and donation systems to treat food with more common sense.
Why This Law Could Influence the Rest of the Country
California is often a testing ground for consumer and environmental rules that later shape national business practices. Because the state is such a large market, food manufacturers may decide it is easier to standardize packaging beyond California instead of creating separate labels for different states.
Supporters of AB 660 hope the law becomes a model for broader food date reform. Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, who authored the bill, described California’s move as a major step for consumers, the environment, and household budgets after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed it in 2024.
If the law works as intended, it could make the refrigerator feel less like a guessing game. Shoppers would no longer need to decode a dozen different phrases or search online every time they find a package with yesterday’s date.
The Bigger Lesson for Consumers
California’s new food label law is built around one basic truth: confusion is expensive. It costs families money when they throw away food too early. It costs communities when edible food does not reach people who need it. It costs the environment when organic waste turns into methane in landfills.
The date stamp is small, but the decision it triggers is enormous. From July 1, California is telling shoppers to look more carefully, waste less quickly, and understand the difference between freshness and danger. “Best if used by” is about quality. “Use by” is about safety. “Sell by” was never really meant for the dinner table.
That clarity may not save every meal. But it could save billions of them.
