California Requires 'Best if Used By' or 'Use By' Labels on Food Packaging Starting July 1

California's ban on 'sell by' labels on food packaging took effect Wednesday, July 1. The law makes the state the first in the U.S. to require standardized date markings on products sold within its borders.

Manufacturers must now use a 'Best if Used By' label to indicate peak quality or a 'Use By' label to signal product safety, or both. Democratic Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, who authored the 2024 legislation, said companies may select either option. The change targets consumer confusion that contributes to food waste.

A 2022 University of Maryland report found more than 50 different date labels on packaged food sold in stores. The Food and Drug Administration has linked the lack of federal standards to nearly 20 percent of the nation's food waste, including about 6 million tons of unexpired food discarded each year in California.

Nick Lapis, director of advocacy at Californians Against Waste, said food labels are the leading cause of household food waste.

Kumar Chandran, policy director at ReFED, stated that consumers often assume any date on a package means the food should be thrown away. Nate Rose, spokesperson for the California Grocers Association, said some grocers have overhauled labeling systems but the association supports the change. Shoppers will continue to see old labels in stores for months as existing inventory is sold.

New York state lawmakers recently approved a similar measure awaiting Gov. Kathy Hochul's signature. Legislation on food labeling has been proposed but not passed in Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and South Carolina.

A bipartisan bill for uniform national labels remains pending in Congress. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommended 'Best if Used By' labeling a decade ago. Infant formula is currently the only product with federal date-label regulations.