California bans 'sell by' food labels to cut food waste

Key Points:

• California has enacted a new food labeling law banning "sell by" dates on packaging, replacing them with standardized "Best if Used By" labels for quality and "Use By" labels for safety to reduce consumer confusion and food waste.
• The law, effective Wednesday, aims to address widespread misunderstanding of date labels that often leads consumers to discard food prematurely, contributing to approximately 6 million tons of unexpired food waste annually in California.
• California is the first U.S. state to standardize food date labels, with New York passing a similar law awaiting the governor's signature; other states are considering related legislation.
• Advocates emphasize that uniform labeling can reduce household food waste without significant infrastructure costs, and a bipartisan bill proposing national standards is currently pending in Congress.
• Grocers have generally supported the change despite some adjustments needed for labeling systems, viewing the new labels as beneficial for both reducing waste and simplifying consumer decisions.