United States of America

California Bans 'Sell By' Food Labels to Cut Food Waste

Is this a smart fix for waste and savings or costly government overreach?

Published 2 hours ago

California Bans 'Sell By' Food Labels to Cut Food Waste

Story

Above: A man searches for food in trash containers in Toulouse, France, on Sept. 22, 2020. Image credit: Alain Pitton/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The Spin

Narrative A

California's ban on "sell by" labels is government overreach dressed up as consumer protection. Manufacturers already know their products — forcing a one-size-fits-all labeling system onto a diverse food industry just adds compliance costs and penalties for businesses that miss the deadline. The federal government has declined to mandate this for good reason, and California shouldn't be dragging the rest of the country toward its regulatory model.

USDA New York Post

Narrative B

Confusing food labels cost the average American family nearly $800 a year in wasted food, and that's a problem with a straightforward fix. Standardizing labels to just "best if used by" and "use by" removes the guesswork that causes the vast majority of Americans to toss perfectly safe food. California's new law cuts household waste, lowers methane emissions and stretches grocery budgets — all without requiring massive new spending or infrastructure.

NRDC on X