Key Takeaways
- California’s AB 660 banned “Sell By” dates on food packaging starting July 1, 2026.
- Brands switched to “Best If Used By” for quality or “Use By” for safety.
- The longer phrases need extra label space, wider print zones, and better contrast.
- Most national brands updated their packaging everywhere, not just for California-bound stock.
- Any brand that still hasn’t been redesigned is now sitting on non-compliant inventory.
California AB 660 took effect on July 1, 2026, changing how every packaged food brand handles food date labeling. The law banned consumer-facing “Sell By” dates and replaced them with two clearer phrases: “Best If Used By” for quality and “Use By” for safety.
For decades, “Sell By” was really just a stock rotation tool for grocery store shelves. Shoppers never fully understood what it meant, and a lot of good food ended up in the trash because of it. Cutting down on that kind of needless waste also pushed more brands to think like eco-friendly packaging companies, matching sustainable choices to smarter labeling.
If you manage packaging, compliance, or production for a food brand, this was more than a legal update. It touched your design, your print and label space, and your supply chain. Here’s how brands planned their redesigns without disrupting their production lines.
What California’s AB 660 Means for Food Date Labeling
Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 660 into law in 2024, marking a major shift in California’s food date labeling rules. The law banned “Sell By” wording on consumer-facing packaging, aiming to cut both food waste and shopper confusion.
Any packaging using the old wording needed to be updated by July 1, 2026. Products manufactured after that date with the banned phrasing don’t meet the new standard.
California is the fifth largest economy in the world, so its food labeling rules tend to become the national default. Splitting print runs (compliant labels for California, old wording everywhere else) got expensive fast and was hard to manage. It was simpler and cheaper for most brands to update their food date labeling nationwide in one move.
What Are the Two Approved AB 660 Label Phrases?
AB 660 replaced the old patchwork of date phrases with two standardized options. Knowing which one applies to your product matters before you send anything to prepress.
“Best If Used By” (or “Best If Used or Frozen By”) signals peak quality. It tells shoppers the product’s flavor and texture are best before that date, though it’s still safe to eat afterward.
“Use By” (or “Use By or Freeze By”) is reserved for safety. It’s typically required on perishable items like fresh meat or unpasteurized dairy, meaning the product shouldn’t be eaten after that date.
This setup lines up with existing FDA and USDA guidance, so following it keeps your food date labeling consistent with federal recommendations.
How AB 660 Changed Your Label Design and Print Space
Updating packaging wasn’t just swapping a few words in the design. The new required phrases are longer, which changed how many designs looked and functioned.
Moving from “Sell By” (seven characters) to “Best If Used By” (over fifteen) threw off typographic balance, especially on small items like beverage necks or snack pouches. Design teams had to treat the whole date zone as a new layout challenge, not just a simple text resize.
Contrast also became more important. The longer phrases needed to be readable on clear films, bright graphics, or matte finishes under harsh store lighting.
Finally, brands had to check their drop zones, the blank space where dates get printed later by laser or thermal coders. Whether printing custom designed boxes, flexible pouches, or roll labels, that blank space needed to be wide enough for the longer wording.
When Brands Had to Start Their AB 660 Packaging Transition
The hardest part of this switch usually wasn’t the design. It was timing existing inventory so brands didn’t end up with non-compliant stock after July 1, 2026.
Smart brands started their design audits in Q4 or Q1, not the following spring. Design updates, proofing, and print schedules all took time, so waiting too long meant risking getting caught with old packaging that couldn’t legally be sold.
That timeline also made financial sense. Printing one national label under the new food date labeling standard was cheaper than splitting print runs into separate California and non-California versions.
Turning a Compliance Deadline into a Packaging Win
AB 660 turned out to be a big shift, but it also gave brands a good excuse to clean up their labels before the deadline forced their hand. The ones that came out ahead started with an honest look at their inventory, mapped out drop-dead dates for depleting old stock, and got their new designs into prepress early.
Packaging Options USA works with food brands through exactly this kind of transition, from design updates, label layouts, and print runs of multi-packaging solutions. As a trusted partner for custom food product packaging, we handle the technical side so your team can focus on the bigger picture.
Still Need to Update Your Food Date Labeling?
If you haven’t made the switch yet, Packaging Options USA offers complimentary packaging design services to help you fit the new AB 660 wording into your existing design fast.
It banned consumer-facing “Sell By” dates starting July 1, 2026, so brands switched to “Best If Used By” or “Use By” instead.
“Best If Used By” points to peak quality, and the product is still safe to eat afterward. “Use By” is a strict safety cutoff for perishable items.
Not usually. Most brands saved time and money by updating their food date labeling nationwide instead of splitting print runs.
