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

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

Published JUL 2

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 Facts

California's Assembly Bill 660 took effect Wednesday, banning consumer-facing "sell by" labels on packaged foods. Manufacturers must now use two standardized labels — "best if used by" for peak quality and "use by" for product safety.
The Hill
Firstpost
California became the first U.S. state to standardize food date labels when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the measure into law in 2024. New York lawmakers have passed a similar bill, which awaits Gov. Kathy Hochul's signature.
Newser
The Washington Examiner
More than 50 different date label phrases appear on packaged food sold in U.S. stores, according to a 2022 University of Maryland report. The FDA links this unregulated labeling to nearly 20% of the nation's food waste.
US News & World Report
FOX 11 Los Angeles
California's Department of Resources, Recycling, and Recovery estimates that 2.5 billion meals worth of unspoiled food are discarded annually in the state. Food waste accounts for roughly half of what Californians send to landfills and 41% of the state's methane emissions.
Newsweek
The Hill
A bipartisan bill to establish a national food labeling standard is pending in Congress. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommended nearly a decade ago that food sellers adopt "best if used by" labeling, and infant formula remains the only product with federally regulated date labels.
ABC4 Utah
The Washington Examiner
Companies that use consumer-facing "sell by" dates on products manufactured after July 1, 2026, will not be permitted to sell them in California. Businesses that fail to comply could face misdemeanor fines of up to $1,000 under the California Food and Agricultural Code.
Newsweek
New York Post

Sources Split

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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