The End of 'Sell By' Dates: Comparing the New Standardized Food Labels and Their Impact on Food Waste

The era of the confusing "Sell By" date is officially coming to an end across American grocery aisles. On July 1, 2026, California’s Assembly Bill 660 takes effect, becoming the first law in the nation to ban consumer-facing "Sell By" dates and mandate a standardized two-label system for all packaged foods. The momentum is rapidly spreading eastward, as the New York State Legislature passed a nearly identical measure, the Food Date Labeling Act, in early June 2026. For decades, shoppers have navigated a chaotic wild west of over fifty different date labels—ranging from "Enjoy By" to "Freshest Before"—which communicated wildly different things about product viability. By forcing manufacturers to adopt a unified vocabulary, these new laws represent the most significant overhaul of grocery packaging since the introduction of the standardized Nutrition Facts panel in the 1990s.[1][2][7]

The prevailing wisdom of "when in doubt, throw it out" has resulted in staggering environmental and economic consequences. According to data from ReFED and the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic, up to ninety percent of Americans occasionally throw away perfectly safe food simply because they misinterpret the printed dates. This widespread confusion costs the average American family roughly $1,500 annually and contributes to 133 billion pounds of food waste nationwide each year. When edible food is sent to landfills, it decomposes and generates massive amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. The new standardized system, heavily backed by the FDA, the USDA, and the Consumer Brands Association, narrows the chaotic lexicon down to just two highly specific phrases: "Best If Used By" and "Use By."[3][4][5]

To understand the impact of this transition, consumers must recognize that the two new labels serve entirely different purposes. The "Sell By" dates of the past were only ever intended for grocery store inventory management, signaling to stockers when to rotate products, yet consumers routinely mistook them for safety expirations. Under the 2026 regulations, these internal codes are strictly prohibited on consumer-facing packaging. Instead, shoppers are presented with a binary choice that requires a shift in household kitchen management. Comparing the trade-offs of how to handle "Best If Used By" quality dates versus "Use By" safety dates reveals exactly how families can maximize their grocery budgets while protecting their health.[1][6][8]

The case for the "Best If Used By" quality indicator is rooted in massive waste reduction and consumer empowerment. Foods carrying this label—such as canned goods, dry pasta, cereal, and many shelf-stable snacks—are entirely safe to consume long after the printed date has passed. This label simply means the manufacturer guarantees peak flavor, optimal texture, and maximum nutritional value up to that specific point. By understanding that a box of crackers is not suddenly dangerous the day after its printed date, families can safely keep food in their pantries longer. This approach fundamentally shifts the power back to the consumer, encouraging them to evaluate their food rather than blindly following a printed stamp.[3][6][8]

The argument against relying heavily on quality-based dates is that it requires consumers to trust their own senses rather than a definitive printed guarantee, which can cause anxiety for risk-averse shoppers. Because the date is not a safety expiration, consumers must rely on the traditional "sniff test" or visual inspection to determine if the food has actually spoiled or gone stale. For individuals who have spent decades treating printed dates as absolute gospel, this transition requires a significant behavioral shift. Furthermore, some consumers may be disappointed by the degraded texture or faded flavor of a product consumed past its peak quality date, leading to a suboptimal culinary experience even if the food remains perfectly safe to digest.[5][6]

The evidence supporting the widespread adoption of quality-based labeling is substantial and economically compelling. ReFED, a national nonprofit focused on food waste, estimates that universally understanding and adhering to the "Best If Used By" standard for shelf-stable goods could save United States consumers $1.23 billion annually. Furthermore, standardizing these labels is projected to prevent 398,000 tons of food waste from entering landfills each year, which translates to a reduction of two million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. The Consumer Brands Association reports that voluntary adoption of this standard had already reached eighty-seven percent of products before the 2026 state mandates forced the final holdouts to comply, proving that the industry recognizes the financial and environmental benefits.[3][4][7]

Conversely, the case for the "Use By" safety indicator centers entirely on protecting public health and preventing foodborne illness. This label provides a clear, non-negotiable safety threshold for highly perishable items like raw meat, poultry, unpasteurized dairy, and infant formula. Consuming these specific products past the "Use By" date carries a genuine, scientifically documented risk of bacterial growth, including listeria and salmonella. For these high-risk categories, sensory testing is dangerously inadequate; harmful bacteria can multiply to dangerous levels without altering the smell, taste, or appearance of the food. The "Use By" label removes the guesswork, providing a hard stop that keeps vulnerable populations, particularly children and the elderly, safe from severe illness.[6][8]

The argument against the strict "Use By" standard is that it can still lead to premature disposal if manufacturers set overly conservative dates to avoid legal liability. Because the date represents a hard safety cutoff, consumers are instructed to discard or compost the food once the date passes, regardless of how it looks or smells. If a manufacturer builds in a wide margin of error, perfectly safe and nutritious food ends up in the trash. Additionally, the strictness of the "Use By" label means that improper storage—such as leaving meat in a warm car—can render the food unsafe long before the printed date, potentially giving consumers a false sense of security if they rely solely on the packaging rather than proper cold-chain management.[5][8]

The evidence backing the necessity of strict safety dates comes directly from federal health and agricultural agencies. The Food and Drug Administration strictly regulates the "Use By" date on infant formula to ensure that vital nutrient degradation has not occurred, making it the only federally mandated date label in the country prior to the new state laws. Similarly, the United States Department of Agriculture strongly advises against consuming raw meat or poultry past this date due to exponential bacterial growth risks. Public health data consistently shows that adhering to safety dates on highly perishable goods is one of the most effective ways to reduce the estimated forty-eight million cases of foodborne illness that occur in the United States annually.[6][8]

In practice, the "Best If Used By" standard fits well when dealing with pantry staples, snacks, and most refrigerated goods where sensory testing is a reliable and safe indicator of spoilage. It empowers consumers to save money, reduce their household carbon footprint, and confidently manage their pantries without fear. It does not fit when dealing with raw proteins or specialized medical nutrition, where a decline in quality directly correlates with a dangerous decline in safety. The 2026 legislative push ensures that this label is legally restricted to foods where quality, not safety, is the primary variable over time.[1][2][4]

The "Use By" standard fits well when handling high-risk, highly perishable proteins or specialized nutritional products like baby formula, where the consequences of spoilage are severe and invisible to the naked eye. It provides necessary peace of mind and a clear directive to discard dangerous items. It does not fit when applied to shelf-stable goods like canned beans or dry rice, which is exactly why the new 2026 laws strictly prohibit manufacturers from slapping "Use By" dates on products that merely lose their crispness. By legally separating quality from safety, the new standardized labels finally give American consumers the exact information they need to clean out their refrigerators with confidence.[1][6][7]

As the July 2026 rollout begins in California and ripples across the country through New York's impending legislation, shoppers will immediately notice cleaner, more decisive packaging on their grocery store shelves. The transition away from the confusing "Sell By" era requires a brief period of consumer re-education, but the long-term benefits are undeniable. By simply changing the vocabulary on our cartons and cans, and understanding the distinct trade-offs between quality and safety indicators, the United States is poised to keep billions of pounds of edible food on the dinner table and out of the landfill.[1][2][3]