Target, Walmart and Trader Joe's stores in California are being forced to change the way they sell fresh food

California is the first state to ban confusing best-before labels on foods in all major supermarkets.

The law, which Gov. Gavin Newsom pushed through over the weekend, is intended to help consumers take the guesswork out of the products in their refrigerators.

Food labels that say “sold by” or “best before” do not have universal meaning under applicable law.

There are more than 50 different date labels on packaged foods sold in stores in the United States. However, the information is largely unregulated and unrelated to food safety.

For example, best-before dates are often used as a guide for stores to remove products from shelves, rather than as an indicator of whether the product is still safe to consume.

Because there are no federal regulations mandating what information these labels must contain, this often leads to customer confusion — and, according to the Food and Drug Administration, nearly 20 percent of the nation's food waste.

California is the first state to ban confusing best-before labels on foods in all major supermarkets

In California alone, around six million tons of unexpired food ends up in the trash every year.

“The question of whether our food is still good is an issue we all struggle with,” said bill author Jacqui Irwin, a Democratic Assembly member.

The new law “is a monumental step toward keeping money in consumers' pockets while helping the environment and the planet,” she added.

The new rules take effect in July 2026 and set a new standard for food labeling in the Golden State.

They will replace the current labels with a “Best if used by” label to signal the highest quality of a product and a “Use by” label for product safety.

The law provides an exception for eggs, beer and other malt beverages.

This comes as similar efforts across the country continue to be halted at the federal level.

Lawmakers and advocates in California said they have spent the last decade passing laws to reduce food labeling confusion and curb food waste.

“Food waste isn’t going down, it’s going up,” said Erica Parker of Californians Against Waste, which sponsored the bill.

Advocates hope the legislation could pave the way for new food labeling standards across the country.

“California has such a large market share that we believe this will drive manufacturers,” said Nina Sevilla of the Natural Resources Defense Council, who also supported the bill.

“The hope is that California will either serve as a model for other states or ultimately spur action at the federal level.”

Shopper Jasmine Acosta, 23, told The Associated Press she believes most people don't understand the current language on food labels.

“It's confusing for most consumers,” she said as she shopped at a Smart & Final store in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

She used to work at a small grocery store, so she developed the habit of inspecting her meat purchases for odor or discoloration before eating, she said.

A sell-by date helps the grocer maintain a first-in, first-out approach to products and prepare for the arrival of the next shipment, but does not mean the food has gone bad, Acosta said.

While shopping on Tuesday, she picked up a package of meat labeled “Use or Freeze By” — wording that she said is relatively clear compared to other phrases, but could still be confusing.

Shoppers line up to buy groceries at a Gelson's supermarket in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles on Friday, March 20, 2020

The new law, which Gov. Gavin Newsom pushed through over the weekend, is intended to help consumers take the guesswork out of the products in their refrigerators

A customer looks at refrigerated items at a grocery store in Pleasanton, California.

“It would obviously help everyone to be on the same spectrum and make sure everything can be used by consumers, otherwise it would just be a waste of money,” Acosta told the outlet.

This came after Governor Newsom also banned plastic bags in California stores.

The change, which went into effect earlier this year, will take effect on January 1, 2026 and will affect all grocery stores.

Some grocery chains like Whole Foods have already eliminated plastic bags at checkout lines nationwide.

Consumers are encouraged to bring their own bags when shopping, and those who don't will be offered a paper alternative.

The new law only affects the plastic bags used at supermarket checkouts, but not the plastic bags that contain food.