No more ‘sell by’ stickers. Gavin Newsom signs bill standardizing food package labels

When does that food actually expire? We’ll soon know.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom over the weekend signed Assembly Bill 660 into law, which standardizes food package labeling.

It will have to read either “best if used by” to denote peak product freshness or “use by” to denote when a food product is no longer safe to eat.

The law also bans retailers from using public-facing “sell by” stickers that simply denotes when stock should be rotated and which can confuse some consumers.

“Having to wonder whether our food is still good is an issue that we all have struggled with,” said bill author Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin, D-Ventura, in a statement.

She said that the signing of AB 660 “is a monumental step to keep money in the pockets of consumers while helping the environment and the planet.”

According to Californians Against Waste, an advocacy group that co-sponsored AB 660, grocery store shelves today have more than 50 differently phrased date labels.

“The inconsistent use of phrases like ‘Sell By,’ ‘Expires On,’ ‘Freshest Before,’ and others makes for an impossible-to-navigate system for consumers who don’t want to throw away good food or make their families sick,” saw CAW Policy Associate Erica Parker in a statement. “The result is a staggering amount of food waste — Californians throw away six million tons of food waste each year — and confusion over date labels is a leading cause.”

AB 660 builds on the work done by former Assemblyman David Chiu, now San Francisco City Attorney, who wrote the 2017 law signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown directing the state to promote voluntary adoption of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved “use by” and “best if used by” labels.

“I’m thrilled to see that with the governor’s signature on AB 660, Assemblymember Irwin has finished work that has been years in the making. As the original author of California’s first food date labeling law in 2017, I applaud Assemblymember Irwin for her persistence in ensuring that standardized date labels will reduce consumer confusion and food waste,” Chiu said in a statement.

The law goes into effect July 1, 2026.

This story was originally published September 30, 2024 at 7:53 AM with the headline "No more ‘sell by’ stickers. Gavin Newsom signs bill standardizing food package labels."