California's New Food Date Label Law Is Here. Here's What It Means.

Confusing food date labels have long been one of the most common—and preventable—drivers of household food waste in the United States. With dozens of different phrases appearing on food packaging—ranging from “sell by” and “best by” to “use by”—many consumers are left guessing whether a product is still safe to eat after its date, when many times it is. Too often, the result is perfectly good food ending up in the trash. In fact, ReFED estimates that uncertainty over date labels alone causes U.S. consumers to discard more than 3.5 million tons of food each year, costing American households and businesses more than $19 billion.

Last week, California took a huge step in tackling the date labelling problem by becoming the first state in the nation to implement standardized consumer-facing food date labels. Under the new law, manufacturers are required to use “Best if Used By” to indicate peak quality and “Use By” to communicate product safety, while eliminating the consumer-facing “Sell by” labels that are intended for retailers but are often mistaken for expiration dates. By making food date labels clearer and more consistent, the law is anticipated to reduce consumer confusion, prevent edible food from being discarded unnecessarily, and set the stage for similar policies across the nation.

California’s landmark law has also brought national attention to how confusing food date labels lead to food waste. In a recent interview with CNN’s The Situation Room, ReFED Executive Director Sara Burnett explained why inconsistent labels so often result in unnecessary food waste:

"You have date labels like enjoy by, sell by, and use by — and they all have different meanings and we all interpret them in different ways. Which means that, often, we're feeding our landfills instead of feeding our families."

We're encouraged to see widespread media coverage educating consumers about the significance of this law and the role that standardized date labels can play in reducing food waste. Check out some of the recent coverage below:

• AP News

• TODAY

• NPR

And while state-level legislation is a huge step forward, ReFED believes that standardizing food date labels at the federal level is a win-win-win opportunity for policymakers, food businesses, and consumers. The bipartisan Food Date Labeling Act is currently making its way through the halls of Congress, and if passed, would help families and food businesses save money while also reducing food waste.

Want to dive deeper into food date labels and their impact on food waste? Explore some of ReFED's additional resources to learn more about the research behind date label standardization, consumer behavior, and the policy solutions helping drive change:

• How Confusing Food Date Labels Are Hitting Your Wallet: Five Things to Know About Food Date Labels, Consumer Behavior, and Policy

• Progress on the Plate: The 2026 U.S. Food Waste Report

• Confusion Over Food Date Labels Has Grown, According to New National Survey