California shoppers are about to see a quiet but sweeping change on grocery shelves: the familiar “sell by” date is being pushed into history. Starting in 2026, a new state law will standardize how food is dated, replacing a jumble of phrases with a simpler system meant to cut waste, save households money, and still protect public health.
The reform, built around Assembly Bill 660, turns California into a national test case for whether clearer labels can shift how people shop, store, and throw away food. It is a technical change with big stakes for manufacturers, retailers, and anyone who has ever stood in a supermarket aisle wondering if a carton of yogurt is still safe to eat.
What the 2026 law actually bans – and what replaces it
The core of the new regime is a straightforward prohibition: consumer-facing “Sell By” dates will no longer be allowed on food packages sold in California. State officials describe how the law, identified as AB 660, targets the labels that have historically been meant for inventory control but that shoppers often misread as a safety deadline. Under the statute, those internal codes must move off the front of packaging, clearing space for terms that are designed for consumers rather than stock clerks.
In place of “Sell By,” manufacturers will be required to use standardized quality and safety language. Legal guidance on the change notes that companies will have to choose phrases such as “BEST if Used by” or “BEST if Used or Frozen by” to signal when a product is at peak quality, while separate wording will be reserved for genuine safety cutoffs. The advisory on California Bans “Sell By” Dates explains that this shift is meant to make it obvious when a date is about taste and texture rather than illness risk, especially for shelf-stable goods and distilled spirit-based products that rarely pose acute safety hazards.
How the new labels work: quality versus safety
Behind the legal language is a simple idea: not every date on a package means the same thing, and the law wants that distinction to be visible. State materials on Food Date Labeling describe two main categories, quality dates and safety dates, that will now be spelled out in consistent terms. Quality dates, such as “BEST if Used by,” tell shoppers when a product is likely to taste its best, while safety dates, often phrased as “Use by,” are reserved for foods where spoilage can create real health risks if ignored.
The law also sets a clear enforcement timeline. Regulatory guidance explains that, Starting July 1, 2026, it will be illegal to sell any food item for human consumption in California with a consumer-facing “Sell” or “Dates” label, with narrow exceptions for eggs and infant formula that are governed by separate rules. By drawing a bright line between quality and safety and tying it to a firm implementation date, lawmakers are betting that fewer shoppers will treat every printed date as a hard stop, and that fewer still-edible products will end up in the trash.
Why California is targeting date labels to cut waste
California’s push did not emerge in a vacuum. Advocates have long argued that confusing labels drive households to discard food that is perfectly safe, contributing to climate emissions and higher grocery bills. Analysis of the California Food Date Labeling Law notes that the state is explicitly linking standardized wording to broader goals of reducing waste and improving food recovery, framing the change as part of a larger strategy to keep edible products out of landfills.
Supporters also stress that the reform is meant to be practical, not symbolic. A detailed review of how the California Food Date Labeling Law will Impact Entire Food Industry points out that, in a little over a year from passage, any food sold in California will have to comply with the new standards, tying the policy to existing sections such as 14504 of the California PRC. That tight timeline underscores how seriously the state is treating date labels as a lever for change, not just a consumer-education campaign.
From “sell by” to “best by”: what shoppers will actually see
For consumers, the most visible shift will be the language on the front of packages. Reporting on how California Bans “Sell By” Dates to Simplify Labels and Cut Food Waste notes that California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 660 with the explicit aim of helping consumers who at least occasionally check dates but are unsure what they mean. Instead of a patchwork of phrases, shoppers will see a small set of standardized terms that signal either quality or safety, reducing the guesswork that has long surrounded “best by,” “use by,” and similar wording.
Food safety specialists describe the legislation as a first-of-its-kind effort to standardize “best by” dates and ban “Sell By” on consumer-facing labels. One technical analysis explains that Sell By dates have historically been used by retailers to manage stock rotation, not to tell families when food becomes unsafe. By removing that language from view and pairing it with clear “BEST if Used by” and “Use by” phrasing, the law aims to align what shoppers see with what regulators and manufacturers actually intend those dates to convey.
Will the change really save money without risking safety?
Public health experts and consumer advocates are already fielding the question that matters most to households: will this new system help people stretch their grocery budgets without getting sick. Coverage of the debate in Dec reporting on California notes that the law further clarifies that “BEST if Used by” is about quality, while “Use by” indicates food safety, a distinction that should help shoppers decide when to trust their senses and when to treat a date as a firm cutoff. The same analysis suggests that, by reducing unnecessary discards, households could see real savings over time.
Consumer advocates have been making a similar case nationally. A campaign urging people to Call on state officials to revamp “best by,” “sell by,” and “use by” labels, led in part by Rohan Tayur, frames the issue in everyday terms: Have you ever craved an old snack from the back of the pantry and wondered if it is still good or not. California’s law effectively answers that question with a standardized vocabulary, betting that clarity will reduce both anxiety and waste without compromising safety.
Why industry is paying attention far beyond California
For food companies, the new rules are more than a labeling tweak in a single state. Environmental advocates point out that, on grocery store shelves today, there are more than 50 differently phrased date labels on packaged food, a level of variation that confuses shoppers and complicates national distribution. Because California is such a large market, many manufacturers are expected to adopt the state’s standardized terms across their entire product lines rather than maintain separate packaging streams.
Packaging and logistics specialists are already advising clients on how to adapt. One briefing on California New Food Labeling Law, which describes the Ban on Sell By Dates, notes that in October 2024 California made a ground-breaking move that will require companies to rethink artwork, printing schedules, and inventory systems. The same analysis emphasizes that businesses will need strategies to help consumers make informed decisions under the new labels, suggesting that education campaigns and in-store signage may accompany the physical redesign of packages.
A model other states are already eyeing
Legal scholars and food policy advocates see California’s move as a template that could spread. Commentary on how California announces new law banning misunderstood grocery store labels argues that other states should do the same, framing AB 660 as a response to years of evidence that shoppers misinterpret “sell by” and “best before” language. The piece highlights how advocates have pushed for federal action but are now looking to state-level reforms to build momentum.
State officials are also positioning the law within a broader regulatory trend. Coverage of Date label reforms notes that Newsom’s approval of AB 660 will require food manufacturers, processors, and retailers to comply with a standardized system that explicitly lists “Prohibited: Sell by” on consumer-facing packaging. That level of specificity, combined with California’s market size, is one reason policy analysts expect other states to watch closely and potentially harmonize their own rules with the Golden State’s approach.
From law on paper to labels on shelves
Translating statutory language into everyday shopping will take time and coordination. Local news segments have already begun explaining that a new California law bans those sell by or best before labels on food in an effort to cut down on waste and be more precise about safety, signaling that public education will be a key part of the rollout. Retailers will have to phase in new packaging, train staff, and potentially adjust discounting practices that have long been tied to “sell by” dates.
Consumer-focused explainers are also framing the change as part of a broader shift in how people think about food waste. One overview notes that AB 660, which goes into effect in 2026, will reshape how shoppers in the Golden State read date labels, with advocates arguing that similar reforms are needed at the federal level. Legal analysts at a separate firm, in a briefing titled New Food Labeling Law: No More Sell By Dates in California, stress that companies will have to audit their product lines and update packaging in accordance with AB 660 requirements, a process that could take months of design and regulatory review.
A “moderate” reform with potentially major ripple effects
Despite its ambitious goals, legal scholars classify the statute as a measured step rather than a sweeping overhaul. An analysis titled Under the Harvard classification system notes that the new law is considered moderate policy, in part because it does not prohibit the use of all date labels, only certain misunderstood ones, and leaves room for federal regulation of date labeling generally. That framing suggests California is trying to balance consumer clarity with flexibility for industry and future national standards.
Moderate or not, the practical effect will be hard to miss. By 2026, shoppers in California will no longer see “sell by” stamped across their milk, meat, and cereal, and will instead navigate a smaller, clearer set of phrases that separate quality from safety. If the experiment succeeds in cutting waste without increasing illness, the state’s quiet war on confusing dates could become a model for how the rest of the country says goodbye to “sell by” labels as well.
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