This State Just Banned Sell-By Dates—Here's Why

To combat foot waste that stems from consumer confusion, Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation on September 28 that bans sell-by-dates, making California the first state to do so.

Assembly Bill 660 will go into effect on July 1, 2026. The bill requires all manufacturers, processors, and retailers responsible for labeling food items meant for human consumption to use standardized language to indicate freshness.

Food products with a date label must state “Best if Used by” or “Best if Used or Frozen by” to indicate the quality date of the food item and “Use by” or “Use by or Freeze by” to indicate the safety date of the food item. Exceptions to this include infant formula, eggs, beer, and malt beverages.

Currently, "Sell-By" and "Best-By" labels indicate when a product should be removed from store shelves. They are not supposed to serve as guidelines on when your food has gone bad. This legislation aims to combat food waste in California that results from date labeling inconsistencies.

ReFED, a non-profit organization that fights food waste, estimates that about 78 million tons of food in the United States is wasted per year and 3 million tons are wasted due to label concerns. The organization believes that this law will save 70,000 tons of food from going to waste annually in California alone.