If you’ve ever stood in front of your refrigerator wondering whether “sell by,” “best by,” and “use by” all mean the same thing, you’re not alone. Food packages have carried so many different date labels over the years that it’s easy to mistake a freshness guideline for a warning that something is no longer safe to eat.
California is trying to make those labels easier to understand. As of July 2026, new food-date labeling rules under Assembly Bill 660 are in effect, giving manufacturers standardized wording to use and removing consumer-facing “sell by” dates from most covered foods sold in the state.
The “Sell By” Date Is Going Away
One of the biggest changes shoppers will notice is the removal of “sell by” dates from covered food products. These dates were mainly intended to help stores manage inventory, but many shoppers interpreted them as a deadline for throwing food away.
Stores can still use coded information behind the scenes to keep track of stock and manage products. The difference is that shoppers will no longer see a traditional “sell by” date on most covered foods.
Eggs and infant formula are among the exceptions to the new requirements.
Two Types of Dates Shoppers Need to Know
Instead of seeing a long list of different date phrases, shoppers in California will now see wording that falls into two main categories: quality and safety.
For food quality, the approved wording includes:
“BEST if Used by” or “BEST if Used or Frozen by.”
These dates tell shoppers when a product is expected to be freshest or at its highest quality. Passing that date doesn’t automatically mean the food is unsafe to eat.
For food safety, the wording includes:
“USE by” or “USE by or Freeze by.”
These dates relate to food safety, not just freshness or taste. They’re meant to tell shoppers the date is for safety, not a general quality recommendation.
The difference is fairly easy to remember once you know what each phrase means. One gives you quality information, while the other communicates food-safety guidance.
Why California Changed the Rules
A major reason behind the new law is the amount of food that gets thrown away because of confusing date labels. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, more than 50 different date-label phrases appear on food products in the United States.
With so many different terms on packages, shoppers can easily mistake a freshness guideline for an expiration date. Throwing away food a few days early may seem small at home, but the amount adds up across millions of households.
California officials report that the equivalent of 2.5 billion meals worth of unspoiled food is discarded each year. Organic waste also accounts for about 48% of the material Californians send to landfills.
Families also pay a financial cost. Every time perfectly usable food gets tossed, part of the grocery budget goes with it, along with food that could otherwise be recovered and used.
“Best” and “Use” Have Different Meanings
For shoppers, the easiest way to remember the new labels is:
BEST = quality. USE = safety.
If a package says “BEST if Used by,” the date refers to the product’s expected quality. If it says “USE by,” the date provides food-safety information and deserves closer attention.
Some smaller packages may use shortened versions of the approved wording if there’s not enough room for the full phrase. The goal is still to make the date’s meaning easier for shoppers to recognize.
Why This Could Make Cleaning Out the Refrigerator Easier
Most of us have probably thrown something away simply because we weren’t sure what the date on the package meant. If you’re unsure whether food is still safe, tossing it can feel like the safer choice.
California’s new labeling rules aim to reduce that confusion by clarifying each date’s purpose. Shoppers can tell whether a label refers to expected quality or food safety instead of treating every date as an automatic expiration deadline.
