California Becomes First State to Ban “Sell By” Dates on Packaged Foods

FLPC’s Emily Broad Leib contributed a quote to this article, included below.

Originally published on Sept. 30, on NRDC.

SACRAMENTO –  In a major victory for consumers and the environment, Governor Gavin Newsom signed the nation’s first mandatory food date labeling reform bill. Assembly Bill 660 standardizes confusing date labels that result in unnecessary food waste across the state. Authored by Assembly member Jacqui Irwin, AB 660 received bipartisan support, and marks a pivotal step toward a more sustainable future for California.  

On grocery store shelves today, there are more than 50 differently phrased date labels on packaged food. Some phrases are used to communicate peak freshness of a product or when a product is no longer safe to eat. Others, like “sell by,” are used only to inform stock rotation in stores but mislead some consumers into thinking the product is no longer safe to eat. 

Emily Broad Leib, Director, Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic:  

“Clarifying and standardizing date label language is one of the most cost-effective and commonsense methods to reduce food waste, help consumers keep dollars in their pockets, and ensure safe, healthy food can be donated to those in need. Based on our research on date labels for over a decade, we know that laws like AB 660 are essential to ensure that businesses and consumers alike can understand and use date labels more effectively. With this law, California is once again at the forefront of food waste and environmental policy, and I am thrilled to see the leadership that California legislature and Governor Newsom have taken to enact AB660 as a vehicle to address both hunger and environmental impacts of food waste.”  

Read the full article.