Say goodbye to sell-by dates on your groceries in California. Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law on Monday to simplify consumer quality and safety indicators.
Best-buy, enjoy-buy, sell-by; most people don’t know what these quality markers mean, and Thousand Oaks Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin says it’s been a long-running frustration.
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“I know of many people that see a sell-by date that has passed, and they throw the food in the trash. Sell-by could be good for another day, or it could be good for another six months.”
This particular label is meant to help retailers rotate their stock, but it doesn’t mean you can’t eat it, and it is essentially useless for consumers, causing unnecessary waste.
Governor Newsom signed a bill by Irwin that, starting in 2026, limits the dates companies can put on food labels, only allowing two; ‘best if used by,’ which means peak freshness, and ‘use by,’ which implies product safety.