Is the food in the fridge still good? California wants to end the guessing game

California will soon help end the everyday household debate over whether the food in the fridge is still good to eat. The state is the first to ban food labels such as “sell by” or “best before” under a law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. There are more than 50 different date labels, but the information largely does not relate to food safety. The new law will require the use of “Best if Used By” label to signal peak quality and “Use By” label for product safety. It will take effect July 2026. Misleading food label is the driving cause for more than 6 million tons of food waste in California.