Most of us have done it: opened the fridge, seen a date that already passed, and thrown out food that was almost certainly fine. Starting July 1, California is trying to stop that, and it turns out one small change to a label can help your grocery bill, your local food bank, and the climate all at once.

The state's new law, AB 660, makes California the first in the country to ban the vague "sell by" date from the food you buy. [1] In its place, manufacturers must use just two standardized phrases: "BEST if Used by" for quality, and "USE by" for the smaller set of foods where safety is the real concern. [1][2] Gov. Newsom signed it back in September 2024; July 1, 2026 is the day it takes effect. [2]

Why a date label is really a grocery bill

The confusion is not a small thing. In one survey, 91 percent of consumers said they had thrown out food simply because it was past a "sell by" date, out of a safety fear the date was never meant to signal. [4] Date-label confusion drives roughly 20 percent of all avoidable food waste. [3] The average American spends more than $1,300 a year on food that is bought and never eaten. [4] Clearer labels put some of that money back in a family's pocket, week after week.

The waste is not abstract either. California alone sends about 2.5 billion meals worth of unspoiled food to the landfill every year, in a state where more than one in five people experience food insecurity. [1][3] Food that gets tossed over a misread date is food that could have fed someone.

The climate piece

There is a third winner here, and it is the air. When that discarded food rots in a landfill, it releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Food scraps and other organic waste make up 41 percent of California's methane emissions. [1] Less confusion means less waste, and less waste means less of that gas going up. A clearer label is a small climate policy hiding inside a grocery aisle.

What it does not do

Here are the limits, and they are real. The law covers only food manufactured on or after July 1, 2026, which means old-style "sell by" labels will keep appearing on shelves for months as existing inventory sells through. [2][3] It does not require a date at all, only that if one is used, it uses the standard words. [3] It exempts infant formula, eggs, and beer and malt beverages. [2] It also binds only products sold in California, so the national patchwork of more than 50 different date phrases stays in place unless other states or Congress follow. [4]

The bottom line

This is not a revolution. It is a clarification, the kind that quietly saves a working family real money, keeps good food out of the dumpster, and takes a bite out of a greenhouse gas, all from swapping a confusing phrase for a clear one. California went first. The good news is how easy it would be for everyone else to follow.