---
title: "California's Ban on Confusing 'Sell By' Food Labels Is Now Law"
description: "As of July 1, food sold in California can no longer carry the vague 'sell by' stamp on its label — the first state law in the nation to standardize date labels on just two plain-English phrases, in a bid to cut the millions of tons of edible food thrown away each year."
category: "California"
category_url: https://herald.la/category/california
author: "Hana Nakamura"
published: 2026-07-01T22:00:00.000Z
updated: 2026-07-01T22:00:00.000Z
canonical: https://herald.la/article/california-s-ban-on-confusing-sell-by-food-labels-is-now-law
tags: ["food waste", "AB 660", "California", "food labels", "grocery", "consumer"]
---
# California's Ban on Confusing 'Sell By' Food Labels Is Now Law

As of July 1, food sold in California can no longer carry the vague 'sell by' stamp on its label — the first state law in the nation to standardize date labels on just two plain-English phrases, in a bid to cut the millions of tons of edible food thrown away each year.

That "sell by" date on your milk was never really meant for you.

## Why the label was misleading

"Sell by" is an inventory tool: it tells a store when to pull a product from the shelf, not when the food inside goes bad. That mismatch has long driven shoppers to toss perfectly good groceries, and advocates say date-label confusion accounts for a large share of household food waste, [ABC7 reported](https://abc7news.com/post/california-bans-sell-food-labels-cut-waste-say-use/19430596/).

## What the new law requires

Under AB 660 — signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2024, authored by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, and effective for food made on or after July 1, 2026 — manufacturers and retailers may use only two consumer-facing date phrases, [according to the bill text](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB660):

- **"BEST if Used By"** — a quality date; the food is generally still safe to eat afterward.
- **"USE By"** — a safety date; don't eat the product after it passes.

The phrase "sell by" is banned from any label a shopper can read, though stores may keep coded, internal-only stocking codes. The law exempts categories governed by other rules, including infant formula, eggs, beer, wine and spirits.

## What shoppers should do

The practical rule is simple. Treat **"BEST if Used By"** as a suggestion — bread, crackers and canned goods are usually fine past that date, if slightly less fresh. Treat **"USE By"** as a firm deadline, since it appears on items where spoilage can pose a real health risk, such as deli meats and some dairy. Products already on shelves before July 1 may carry old-format labels until that inventory clears, so expect a gradual changeover.

## A national first

California is the first state to mandate uniform date labels, standardizing what backers say has been a patchwork of dozens of different phrases nationwide. Supporters, including waste-reduction advocates and the California Grocers Association, argue the change will cut waste without new costs. "We just need companies to use the same words across brands," Nick Lapis of Californians Against Waste told ABC7. Other states have weighed similar measures, and a federal standard has been proposed but not enacted — leaving the country's largest food market to set the pace on its own.

## Sources

- [California bans 'sell by' food labels to cut waste, mandating 'use by' and 'best if used by'](https://abc7news.com/post/california-bans-sell-food-labels-cut-waste-say-use/19430596/)
- [AB-660 food and beverage labeling — bill text](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB660)