California sets new standards: clear food marking against waste

California sets new standards: clear food marking against waste

California has decided to end the daily uncertainty about whether the food in the fridge is still edible. The concerns about food data, which are often marked as a "sales date" or "at least durable to", often lead to confusion among consumers. These terms currently have no uniform, legal standard, which underlines the need for changes.

With the signing of a new law by governor Gavin Newsom, California was the first state to take measures to banish misleading food identifiers. This law, which was approved last weekend, aims to reduce food waste and reduce climate -damaging emissions. Every year around 6 million tons of unspoiled food are thrown away in California, which is done due to unclear markings, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

confusing markings from 2026 abolished

The new draft law stipulates that from July 2026 the standards for food identification in California will be changed. Instead of "selling to" or "at least durable to", the formulations "best to" and "to consume until" will have to be used in the future. These terms give consumers a clear orientation through the quality and safety of the food. Products such as eggs and beer are excluded from this regulation.

According to the author of the law, the democratic meeting member Jacqui Irwin, be it an essential measure to protect consumers' money and at the same time protect the environment. The initiative comes at a time when similar efforts at the federal level have stalled. In the past, there have already been attempts to eliminate confusing labels, but without great success.

nina Sevilla from the Natural Resources Defense Council, which also supported the legislation, expresses the hope that California can serve as a model for other states to make changes at national level.

A survey among consumers shows that there are many uncertainties in dealing with the previous labels. Shopper Jasmine Acosta noticed that the current language on food data is often incomprehensible. She explained that when shopping, she always pays attention to smell or discoloration in meat, since an "expiry date" does not mean that the product is bad. Her experience from a small grocery store helped her to be more sensitive to assessing food.

Overall, the new law shows that California is determined to reform food labeling and thus protect both consumers and to reduce environmental impact on avoided food waste. For further details and developments on this topic, See the article on www.nbcsandiego.com .