BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A new California law that took effect July 1 bans "sell by" date labels on packaged foods as part of a statewide effort to cut down on food waste.
The law requires manufacturers to use standardized terms for quality, such as "best if used by" or "best if frozen by," and "use by" or "use or freeze by" for safety.
Elena Underwood said she hopes the change makes a difference.
"I didn't know that they were gonna do that. I didn't know that that was, like, gonna be a new law. I mean, we do check, like, the expiration date. I don't know that it would make a difference if it was expired or best by."
Underwood said the new language could give consumers more flexibility before discarding food.
"Because a lot of people will see, like, oh, it expired already, and then throw it away. But if it's, like, 'Best By', then you kind of give it a little bit of a couple days, maybe, or there's a little bit more leeway there."
The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery found that 2.5 billion meals worth of unspoiled food are thrown out every year.
Al Brown said he supports the new law.
"A good, that's a good thing. I agree with that. That's a good thing. But anytime you can do away with wasting food in this community, I agree with that 100%."
There are exceptions to the new rules. Eggs and infant formula are exempt. Grocers can still use coded "sell by" dates for inventory management and stock rotation, but that information cannot be easily readable by consumers on the packaging.
Consumers can prepare for the transition by familiarizing themselves with the 2 new authorized phrases.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
