California Bans "Sell By" Labels to Reduce Food Waste

A new California law took effect Wednesday, banning "sell by" labels on food packaging as part of a statewide effort to reduce food waste. Manufacturers must now use standardized dating terms that clearly distinguish between product quality and safety, specifically "best if used by" to indicate peak freshness and "use by" to denote when an item may no longer be safe to consume. The regulation replaces ambiguous terminology with uniform language designed to help consumers accurately assess the condition