Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Posted on 07/12/2026 7:07:03 AM PDT by dennisw
Californians are set to notice a major change the next time they stroll through a grocery store.
State officials have ordered a sweeping overhaul of food packaging that will alter how millions shop.
From July 1, food manufacturers and retailers across the Golden State will no longer be allowed to slap 'sell by' dates on most packaged foods sold to consumers, under a controversial new law aimed at tackling food waste and clearing up widespread confusion over expiration labels.
The shake-up, which will be felt across supermarket shelves statewide, effectively strips out a long list of familiar date markings that shoppers have relied on for years.
Instead of the confusing mix of phrases currently printed on packaging - including 'sell by,' 'freshest by' and 'expires on' - consumers will now see just two standard labels.
Products marked 'BEST if Used by' will refer to peak quality and flavor, while items labelled 'USE by' will indicate a hard food safety deadline.
State officials insist the change is designed to stop shoppers binning perfectly edible food simply because they misunderstand what date labels actually mean.
The overhaul stems from Assembly Bill 660, which establishes the nation's first statewide standard for food dating and effectively bans consumer-facing 'sell by' labels altogether.
Regulators say the phrase was never intended to signal safety, but was instead used by retailers for stock rotation - a distinction they argue has long been lost on the public.
The new system will also allow shortened versions of the labels - 'BB' and 'UB' - to be used on smaller packaging and certain beverages.
Under the rules, only food manufactured on or after July 1 will need to comply, but companies that continue using banned 'sell by' labels on consumer packaging after that date will be prohibited from selling those products in California.
The grocery industry has already been scrambling to adapt, with manufacturers and retailers racing to redesign packaging for the state's enormous consumer market.
California becomes the first US state to impose a unified system for food date labels, with supporters hailing the move as a potential blueprint for the rest of the country.
However, critics of the broader labeling system argue that the lack of a national standard has left consumers navigating a confusing maze of more than 50 different date-related phrases across the United States.
Food waste groups have welcomed the change, saying it could help reduce the staggering amount of edible food thrown away each year due to misunderstanding of packaging dates.
For shoppers, officials say the aim is simple: fewer labels, less confusion - and a lot less food ending up in the bin.
|
|
Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
Hopefully the feds quickly toss this scheme.
All I know is that canned beans etc. are good past their expiration dates. Canned tomatoes are too acidic to be good for a long time.
Canned Spam and canned Vienna sausages (admit you love them!) are good for a few decades.
My wife is one that takes the “sell by” date as gospel. She’s like aunt Jenny in the Geico commercial... expired! expired! expired!
Kraft macaroni & cheese is definitely bad six months after its use by date.
The dried pasta you cook? I would’ve thought that would have a long shelf life.
“”to stop shoppers binning perfectly edible food””
Guess that’s what we’ve been doing and didn’t even know it...LOL
Probably a preemptive strike due to the expiration date of Maxine Waters.....
HOW DID SHE MANAGE THINGS BEFORE SUCH INFO WAS PRINTED ON THE PRODUCTS???
I DRINK A LOT OF MILK.
I HAVE HAD A GALLON LAST 10 DAYS BEYOND THE “BEST BY DATE”
The Democrats did it again, they fixed something that wasn’t broken. I won’t be surprised if this new law will result in packaged food sales to decline, doing the opposite of what the Democrats said it will do.
It’s the cheese in the foiled packet.
If the cheese is more goldenrod colored instead of that bright yellow/orange, ditch it.
It wasn’t the milk. It wasn’t the butter.
The macaroni could survive a time capsule.
Here is a wild idea. Simply indicate on the packaging the date of manufacture of the food within and let people use thier own common sense. Assuming of course that they have some.
Great!
Grocery stores will never have to toss out anything.
Best of luck, CA!
Huge assumption these days!
I have some Japanese whiskey that’s 21 years old. I wonder if it’s still good, or should I throw it out?
Next headline: California Officials Baffled by Food Poisoning Outbreak
Check for the Preservatives in the food and you’ll know if it’s good for a hundred years ,LOL
Baloney. I’ve been around forever and never heard that. This is some leftists misguided effort to save the world and prevent food waste. Next they’ll examine your trash to see if you’re “wasting” food.
“””””Kraft macaroni & cheese is definitely bad six months after its use by date.”””””
Not even close, I have 3 versions that I am still eating and they are use by 10/23, 6/23, and 10/23, I have never seen a mac and cheese go bad and don’t even pay attention to their dates except as a tool to rotate them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.