California Becomes First State to Ban Sell-By Dates—And It Could Save More Than 70,000 Tons of Food Waste Each Year

It's the first state to make this change.

We've all been there: You're looking through your fridge to find a snack only to find food that has a "sell by" date of last week on it. Concerned about getting sick, you throw it in the trash and feel guilty for not using it sooner. But did you know that the "sell by" date doesn't indicate freshness or food safety? This date is actually just for store employees to help them know when to rotate items on the shelves. Naturally, this creates confusion about freshness for consumers, leading to food waste.

On September 28, California became the first state to ban the "sell by" phrase. Signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the bill requires that all food manufacturers, processors, or retailers in charge of labeling food items for human consumption not use "sell by" and use one of the newly established uniform terms instead.

• " BEST if Used by ," " BEST if Used or Frozen by ,” and " BB " all indicate the peak freshness or quality of the food item.
• " USE by ," “ USE by or Freeze by ,” and “ UB ” all indicate that the food item is not safe to consume past the date labeled.

Infant formula, eggs or pasteurized in-shell eggs, and beer and other malt beverages are the only exceptions to the new law that will go into effect on July 1, 2026.

Surprisingly, food dating terms have not been standardized in the United States before this, resulting in an abundance of phrases that are used, which are often confusing for consumers.

“Having to wonder whether our food is still good is an issue that we all have struggled with," says Jacqui Irwin, Assembly member and author of the bill, via a press release .

ReFED, a 501(c)(3) national non-profit with the mission of combating food waste, estimates that date label concerns cause more than 3 million tons of food waste each year and that this law could save 70,000 tons of food waste annually.

The ramifications of food waste don't end at unused food, but also cause larger environmental issues and cost consumers a lot of money. Unused food that ends up in landfills emits greenhouse gases that negatively impact the environment. ReFED says on its website that food waste "produces annual greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 30% of U.S. passenger vehicle transportation." They also estimate that food waste costs 473 billion dollars annually.

Irwin said that signing the bill was, "a monumental step to keep money in the pockets of consumers while helping the environment and the planet."

If you're looking for ways to reduce food waste at home, here are a few ideas from the FDA .

• Try freezing food for longer storage.
• Plan out your meals before you go grocery shopping to ensure you buy just the ingredients you're really going to use.
• Consider donating packaged food items you know will go bad before you're able to use them.
• Try composting to save food from going to landfills.

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