On September 28, 2024, California’s governor signed Assembly Bill 660 into law, marking the introduction of a groundbreaking food safety date labeling standard to reduce consumer confusion and food waste. It applies to all packaged food sold in California, requiring clear terms for quality and safety starting July 1, 2026. This matters because consistent labeling helps consumers make informed decisions, cuts waste, and supports environmental goals.
What is California Assembly Bill 660?
The new law will change how food dates are communicated to consumers. To signify the optimal quality of food products, labels must display “BEST if Used By” or “BEST if Used or Frozen By.” For matters of food safety labeling, “Use By” or “Use or Freeze By” will become the standard terms. This shift aims to phase out the vague “sell by” phrasing and other unclear messages, which have historically led to consumer confusion and the needless waste of food.
What changes does AB 660 introduce?
Starting July 1, 2026, food labels must use clear terms:
Quality: “Best if used by” or “Best if used or frozen by”
Safety: “Use by” or “Use or freeze by”
This eliminates vague phrases like “sell by,” which have historically led to unnecessary food disposal.
Product quality labeling
Product safety labeling
How does this law reduce food waste?
The implementation of AB 660 is expected to make a significant impact on California’s approach to food waste. Californians currently discard around six million tons of food waste annually, much of it due to misinterpretation of date labels. The law not only aims to reduce methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas, from landfills but to alleviate some of the financial burden of wasted food on households and the squandered natural resources used in food production and distribution.
What does AB 660 mean for food and beverage manufacturers?
For most food and beverage manufacturers, setting their printer or laser’s message from “Sell by” to “Best if used by” is easy. However, their challenge is making sure that the new longer messaging fits on their product packaging and that their quality teams approve and confirm compliance with the regulation. Contract packagers must obtain the same approval from their customers’ quality teams.
“It’s important they remember that, without the right equipment, switching from a single line to a dual line code or more can affect the speed of production.”
How should manufacturers communicate safety and quality?
When a date is applied to a product, safety or quality must be communicated on the food or beverage item in a standardized message:
Uniform terms
Indication
BEST if Used by
Quality date of the food item
BEST if Used or Frozen by
Quality date of the food item
BB (only if the food item is too small for “BEST if Used by” or “BEST if Used or Frozen by”, or if the item is a qualifying ready-to-drink beverage except beer or a malt beverage)
Quality date of the food item
USE by
Safety date of the food item
USE by or Freeze by
Safety date of the food item
UB (only if the food item is too small for “Use by” or “Use or Freeze by”)
Safety date of the food item
The table shows that California’s AB 660 mandates two clear categories of date terms: “Best if used by” (or variations like “BB”) for product quality and “Use by” (or “UB”) for product safety. These standardized phrases replace vague wording, ensuring consumers understand whether a date relates to freshness or food safety.
Conclusion
This new California food labeling legislation has garnered support from food banks, local governments, food recovery organizations, and environmental groups. AB 660 sets a new standard for food date labeling, making safety and quality messages clear and consistent. By adopting these changes, manufacturers not only ensure compliance but also help reduce food waste and support sustainability goals.
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