California Just Banned Food Labels That Say ‘Sell By’ or ‘Best Before’

If you’ve ever stood in front of your open fridge performing the “sniff test” on a carton of milk because you were confused by the “sell by” date, you’re not alone. Terms like “sell by” and “best before” are ambiguous and can mean different things from one product to the next. In other words, people might throw out perfectly good food under the mistaken assumption that it’s no longer safe to eat.

California plans to clear things up for consumers by enacting a ban on such labeling. It hopes to lead the way for other states to do the same, too.

What’s wrong with the old food labels?

Food labels currently lack regulation, as The Associated Press points out. There are more than 50 different ways that food manufacturers label products with dates. Not all of them indicate an expiration date, as you might assume. For example, a term like “best before” doesn’t mean that the food will go bad after that date. It means that the food is at its peak quality prior to that date. Similarly, “sell by” most often lets the grocery store know when to rotate its products. It has nothing to do with the quality or safety of the food once the consumer buys it.

None of this is conveyed clearly to the consumer, which means that good food might get thrown in the trash. This causes an increase in food waste and requires people to purchase more of the exact same food.

What will the new food labels say?

Ambiguous terms like “sell by” or “best before” will be banned from appearing on food packages. They’ll be replaced with terms that have a specific and regulated meaning. The term “Best if Used By” will be used to indicate the date after which the product might start to lose its peak quality. The term “Use By” will be the only label indicating product safety. If you see this one on a package, it will be a trustworthy gauge of when something actually expires.

Just three grocery categories are exempt from the new food label rules: infant formula, eggs and beer/malt beverages.

When will the food label change take place?

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed California Assembly Bill 660 on September 28. It’s scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2026.

“Having to wonder whether our food is still good is an issue that we all have struggled with,” said Jacqui Irwin, a California state representative and author of the bill, who also noted that this will be “a monumental step to keep money in the pockets of consumers while helping the environment and the planet.”

Similar measures have been in the works across the country for at least a decade, but at a federal level, at least, efforts seem to have stalled. Meanwhile, attempts to encourage manufacturers to voluntarily opt in to more transparent labeling have fallen flat. Because California is such a massive state—and because so much product ships to California markets—this one state bill could provide enough momentum to achieve similar food labeling standards nationwide, either at the state or federal level.

In the meantime, consumers should educate themselves on what different labels mean and whether they actually relate to food safety. The sniff test can only take us so far, after all.