California has become the first state in the US to ban labels such as ‘best before’ and ‘sell by’ on food in its supermarkets.
The new legislation, signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, will aim to help customers to avoid confusion over what the different labels mean and ultimately reduce unnecessary food waste.
Currently, food labels such as ‘best before’ and ‘sell by’ aren’t regulated and don’t tell shoppers if food is safe to eat.
More: New Californian law to introduce Dutch-style ‘cannabis cafés’
Across the US, there are more than 50 different date labels used on food and their meanings vary – some such as ‘sell by’ are used for stores’ internal stock control, not to indicate if food is safe to eat.
Confusion around what different labels mean leads to millions of tons of food waste every year – the FDA estimates that around 20% of food waste nationally is down to confusion over labelling.
Jacqui Irwin, the Democrat state assembly member who authored the bill, said: “Having to wonder whether our food is still good is an issue that we all have struggled with.”
She added that the new legislation “is a monumental step to keep money in the pockets of consumers while helping the environment and the planet”.
The new labelling law will come into force in July 2026 – current labels will be replaced with a ‘best if used by’ label to indicate when food is at its best quality and a ‘use by’ label to indicate when a product is no longer safe to eat.
Exemptions will be in place for eggs, beer and other malt-based beverages.
Attempts to standardize food labels across the US have stalled at the federal level, however supporters of the initiative are hopeful that California’s large market share might have a wider influence as a model to follow.
