By ChinRes 
With the passage of a legislation that controls food labels, customers no longer had to engage in a game of guesswork. This law was approved in the state of California.
If you have ever stood in front of your open refrigerator and performed the “sniff test” on a carton of milk because you were perplexed by the “sell by” date, you are not the only one who has done this. It is difficult to determine the meaning of phrases such as “sell by” and “best before” since they are unclear and might vary from one product to the next. To put it another way, someone could dispose of perfectly edible food because they are under the false impression that it is no longer safe to consume or consume.
California intends to make things more transparent for customers by implementing a law that prohibits the use of such labeling. It is hoped that this will serve as a model for other states to follow in the future.
In what way are the outdated food labeling problematic?
According to The Associated Press, there is presently no regulation in place regarding food labeling. When it comes to labeling items with dates, food producers have more than fifty distinct options available to them. You could believe that all of them show an expiration date, but this is not the case. A phrase such as “best before” does not always imply that the product will become unfit for consumption beyond the specified date.
This indicates that the food is at its highest possible quality prior to the date in question. In a similar vein, “sell by” typically provides the grocery shop with information on when it should rotate its items. In the event that the customer purchases the food, it has no bearing whatsoever on the quality or safety of the meal.
Due to the fact that none of this information is communicated to the customer in a straightforward manner, it is possible that delicious food may be thrown away. As a result, there is an increase in the amount of food that is wasted, and individuals are need to purchase more of the same food.
Where will the new labeling for food be located?
The use of ambiguous phrases on food packaging, such as “sell by” or “best before,” will be prohibited effective immediately. They are going to be replaced by words that have a meaning that is both defined and controlled. The date after which the product may begin to lose its peak quality will be indicated by the phrase “Best if Used By,” which will be used to identify the exact date.
When it comes to product safety, the only label that will be included is the phrase “Use By.” In the event that you come across this item on a package, it will serve as a reliable indicator of when anything is truly going to expire.
There are just three types of groceries that are excluded from the new regulations on food labels: baby formula, eggs, and beer and malt drinks.
When will there be a change to the labeling of the groceries?
Act 660 of the California Assembly was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 28. It is anticipated that it will go into force on July 1st, 2026.
In addition to stating that this will be “a monumental step to keep money in the pockets of consumers while helping the environment and the planet,” Jacqui Irwin, a state representative from California and the author of the bill, went on to say that “having to wonder whether our food is still good is an issue that we have all struggled with.”
At the federal level, on the other hand, efforts appear to have come to a standstill, despite the fact that similar measures have been in the work across the country for at least a decade. While this is going on, efforts to get manufacturers to voluntarily opt in to more transparency labeling have been unsuccessful.
This single state measure has the potential to generate sufficient momentum to accomplish comparable food labeling regulations across the country, either at the state or federal level. This is due to the fact that California is such a large state, and hence a significant amount of goods is shipped to California markets.
The interim, it is important for consumers to educate themselves on the meanings of various labels and determine whether or not they genuinely relate to the safety of food. It is important to remember that the sniff test can only carry us so far.