It’s about time. The current system (of no system) of different, varying date labels on food is confusing and often useless, or just wasteful.
AB 660 will close this gap by requiring manufacturers to use the same phrase for date labels across their products. Starting July 1, 2026, “BEST if Used By” will be used to communicate peak quality, and “Use By” will be used to communicate product safety.
Damn straight!
Oddly enough, we have found that milk from one of our local (chain) grocery stores lasts for quite a while past the date on the jug. The last gallon only started to turn TWENTY DAYS past the printed date!
I was just wondering if I should still try freeze some eggs that are well past their “sell by” date!
That wouldn’t end the debate in my house. Put ANY date on a food item and my spouse will call it “rotten” after.
I was just wondering about this … I bought organic milk and cream from TJ, planned to make Woks of Life Milk Bread again, didn’t get around to it.
Never opened, date was 30 days ago.
Just threw it down drain. Did a tiny taste of milk, seemed off, cream was all separated.
Guess I should be more diligent about buying just before I make something, not put it off!
Milk in a carton doesn’t last very long, but transfer it to glass and it’s good a week or two past the date.
Your wife is looking out for you to enjoy the peak taste of everything.
How do they determine the expiry date on sour cream? I mean, it’s already sour when you buy it.
What date should they put on two year aged cheese?
Never mind cheese.
When does my fish sauce go bad? 
the one that amuses me is the “Best By” date on salt - which has been sitting in the ground for eons . . . . suddenly should be used within (some idiotic) time frame.
various states have legally required wording on dairy products - which will not agree with CA ideas . . . CA totally missed the “Sell by” concept. at least one state had to pass a law holding merchants harmless for not removing stuff past its “Sell By” date from the shelves . . . there’s some law with real teeth!
and, other than baby formula, there is no expiration date required…
and, take note, the Best By and Use By dates are . . . . for the non-CA moment . . . determined by the manufacturer/producer.
and past all that, methinks the problem is not the words on the package, but the intelligence of the consumer . . .
Which is why “states’ rights” often makes no sense.
What’s interesting up here in Canada, is that the canned evaporated milk I buy (not sweetened condensed) currently only has a best before date that is 6 to 8 months away. I started looking at the BB date recently, after we had 2 bad cans, which resulted in other food being wasted.
These cans used to keep for years. People on the Prairie and in the Maritimes rely on canned milk.
We had 2 cans that were bad this summer. I contacted the company (Carnation Evaporated Milk).
I buy around 24 cans a month, and had never even checked the dates.
The best before dates for the cans that went bad were for Oct 2023. No dents in the can.
The company said they couldn’t guarantee their canned milk after the BB date. No refund, no comps.
I have a feeling the cans were already beyond the BB date when I bought the milk this summer. I don’t tend to keep more than 2 dozen cans on hand, and I usually buy them when I am down to 3 cans.
Some canning (like this) might not be as well preserved as previous canning.
I haven’t had any other canned foods be bad, even after the BB date. Watch out for the canned milk. 
I see expiration dates of one kind or another on vinegar, water, and other nonperishable goods. It’s nuts (but not on nuts, which are perishable).
“Best Before” is the manufacturer’s judgement of when the product is in “peak condition” - whether that’s taste, texture, whatever . . .
the product is safe - typically well past its “Best Before” date.
“Use Before” indicates a potential spoilage issue - altho as you noted sooooooooooooo many canned goods are juuuuuuuuuuuust fine for loooooooooooong time after…
the FDA/USDA/etc has two date ‘laws’ -
one is for baby formula - it must show an ‘expiration date’
the other is for (shell) eggs e.g. the dozen/other package in the store.
actually, no dating is required on those packages, however if a date is used, two options:
3x days from packing date for the “Best By” concept
4x days from packing for the “Sell By” concept - anticipating 10-14 days of ‘home storage’
((I think that’s correct, working from memory…))
edit to add: so I went and peered into my notes:
"
usda.gov “egg carton labeling / dating”
Egg processors typically print dates commonly called “Code Dates” on cartons for purposes of rotating stock or controlling inventory. “EXP”, “Sell By”, “Best if Used Before” are examples of terminology used for code dating. Use of code dates on USDA graded eggs is optional, however, if they are used, certain rules must be followed.
If an expiration date is used, it must be printed in month/day format and preceded by the appropriate prefix. “EXP”, “Sell By”, “Not to be sold after the date at the end of the carton” are examples of expiration dates. Expiration dates can be no more than 30 days from the day the eggs were packed into the carton.
Another type of code dating used indicates the recommended maximum length of time that the consumer can expect eggs to maintain their quality when stored under ideal conditions. Terminology such as “Use by”, Use before", “Best before” indicates a period that the eggs should be consumed before overall quality diminishes. Code dating using these terms may not exceed 45 days including the day the eggs were packed into the carton.
"
Oh, I know.
In this case, there is only a Best Before date on the can of evaporated milk. BB. No Use By Date on the can.
Some other canned products have Use By dates here in Canada.
My issue is more that the cans of evaporated being sold in 2024 are not preserving food well enough to keep canned milk in good condition for more than a year from when the can was sold, regardless of the date stamped on the can. People who live more than a 3 hour drive from a grocery store need better than this for their pantry goods. Food Banks need better than this, for the donated goods that are beyond their Best Before and Use By dates.
I agree.
I can’t help but wonder how my storage effects canned goods. We have been known to keep canned milk, both evaporated and condensed, in our garage, and at least one can of condensed became dulce de leche! I think it may have been recently “expired”, but I am sure the summer temps in my garage didn’t help.
We fight over what will get the covetted space in our cupboard, and we really need to make better use of the space under the house.
What are all y’all doing with those cans of evaporated and sweetened condensed milk? Once in a blue moon I buy a can for a specific recipe but otherwise not a thing in my household!
I may be missing something, but isn’t storage method a critical part of this? I’d’ve thought where and at what temp foods are stored would be part of this update in regulations.
