CALIFORNIA STATE – California grocery shoppers are about to see a familiar phrase slowly disappear from store shelves. And it could have a major impact on food waste–and your grocery budget.
Beginning Wednesday, July 1, food manufacturers and retailers selling newly made products in California can no longer use consumer-facing “sell by” dates on most food packages.
Instead, the state is requiring clearer, standardized date language intended to tell shoppers whether a date is about food quality or actual safety.
The change comes under Assembly Bill 660, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2024. It is the first statewide law of its kind in the country, aimed at reducing the confusion that leads shoppers to throw away food that may still be perfectly good.
What shoppers will start seeing instead
For food with a date label, the new system is designed to make the meaning much more obvious:
- “Best if Used By” or “Best if Used or Frozen By” means the product is expected to be at peak quality through that date.
- “Use By” or “Use By or Freeze By” signals a food-safety date.
Small packages and certain beverages can use shortened versions — “BB” for quality dates and “UB” for safety dates.
The key distinction is one many shoppers have struggled with for years: a “Best if Used By” date is not automatically a warning that food is unsafe.
It generally refers to taste, freshness, texture, or other quality factors. USDA guidance says food that shows no signs of spoilage may still be sold, donated, purchased, and eaten after a quality date has passed.
Do not expect every old label to vanish overnight
Despite the law taking effect today, Bay Area shoppers will likely continue seeing “sell by,” “enjoy by,” and other older terms for a while.
The new requirements apply to food manufactured on or after July 1, 2026. Products made before that date can still be sold through under their existing labels, meaning the transition will happen gradually as stores work through inventory and manufacturers roll out new packaging.
There are also notable exemptions. The statewide requirements do not apply to infant formula, eggs and pasteurized in-shell eggs, beer, and other malt beverages. Grocery stores can still use a “packed on” label for prepared foods from their deli, bakery, meat, or seafood departments, as long as the item also carries a compliant quality or safety date.
Why California is making the switch
“Sell by” dates were primarily created to help stores rotate inventory, not to tell consumers whether an item was unsafe. But the wording has long caused shoppers to treat the date as an expiration deadline.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture says more than 50 differently worded food-date labels have been used in the United States. The agency estimates that Californians throw away the equivalent of 2.5 billion meals of unspoiled food each year, while food and other organic waste make up nearly half of the material sent to the state’s landfills.
That matters well beyond the grocery bill. As food decomposes in landfills, it creates methane, a potent greenhouse gas. CDFA says organic waste in landfills accounts for 41% of California’s methane emissions.
And it matters for your wallet, too. If you throw things away when the “Sell By” date arrives, you’ve likely throwing away perfectly edible food. With today’s food prices, you might be trashing hundreds of dollars worth of food per year.
The goal of the new law is to make a quick decision in the refrigerator a little less confusing — and keep more good food out of the trash. That may well translate into a bit more grocery cash for your family, too.
