Confusing wording on food packaging has become a growing policy target as states and federal lawmakers weigh changes meant to reduce waste and give shoppers clearer information. The most immediate movement came in New York, where state senators advanced a bill on May 14, 2026, to standardize the date labels printed on food packages. The proposal is part of a broader push already underway in states including California and in Congress to change what packaging tells consumers.
New York senators moved a bill to standardize date labels
The clearest recent legislative action came in Albany, where the New York State Senate approved legislation on May 14, 2026, that would prohibit vague phrases such as “sell by” on food packaging, according to a Senate news release from bill sponsor Joseph Addabbo. Under that proposal, packages would instead use two standardized phrases: “Use by” for food safety and “Best if Used by” for peak quality, while manufacturers would be required to use scientific methods to determine the dates. The Senate release said the bill would also require the State Department of Agriculture and Markets to develop consumer education materials and retailers to post signage explaining the labels.
The bill’s backers framed the measure as a consumer and waste-reduction step rather than a broader redesign of ingredient labeling. According to the same Senate release, the legislation would allow retailers to sell existing inventory until current expiration dates and says it would not conflict with federal labeling requirements. As of that announcement, the measure was awaiting action in the New York State Assembly.
This is not the only packaging-label policy moving in 2026. Congress is also considering the bipartisan Food Date Labeling Act of 2025, introduced as S.2541 and H.R.4987, which would create a national two-term system for date labels on food, according to bill summaries and legislative tracking information. That federal proposal has been referred to committee and had not advanced to a floor vote as of the latest available Congress.gov information.
The immediate impact is clearest in New York, while California has already set a new standard
For consumers, the state-level impact is most concrete in New York because lawmakers there have already approved the proposal in one chamber. If the bill becomes law, New York shoppers would see fewer competing phrases on packaged foods and more consistent language distinguishing quality from safety, according to the Senate description of the measure. The state has not yet published a timeline for when the labeling change would take effect because the bill had not completed the legislative process at the time of the latest update.
What is not yet known is how quickly food manufacturers and retailers would transition labels on products sold in New York if the bill is enacted. The state also has not released product-specific implementation guidance beyond the bill’s general requirement for standardized terms and consumer education materials. That leaves open practical questions for grocery chains, distributors, and packaged-food brands that sell across multiple states.
California has moved further. Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 660 in 2024, and that law took effect July 1, 2026, requiring “BEST if Used By” for peak quality and “Use By” for safety while prohibiting consumer-facing “sell by” dates, according to the governor’s office and the bill materials. That makes California the first state with a mandatory statewide food date-labeling standard now in force.
Lawmakers say the push is driven by consumer confusion, food waste and pressure for clearer packaging
The main reason lawmakers are acting is longstanding confusion over what date labels actually mean. Research cited by New York lawmakers and by legal and policy summaries of the federal Food Date Labeling Act says there are no broadly enforceable federal standards for most food date-labeling terminology, leading to a patchwork of phrases such as “sell by,” “best before,” and “freshest on.” According to a 2025 survey cited by ReFED and summarized in policy coverage, 88 percent of U.S. consumers discard food near or past the label date at least occasionally.
Advocates and lawmakers also tie the issue directly to waste and household costs. New York’s Senate release said confusion around date labels contributes to roughly 7 percent of all consumer food waste, while California officials said more than 50 differently phrased labels on shelves have made the system difficult for consumers to interpret. Supporters argue that standard wording can help households keep safe food longer and throw away less edible food.
For shoppers, the practical takeaway is that the wording on packaged foods may become more uniform, first in states that pass their own rules and potentially later at the federal level. New York’s proposal had not yet become law as of the latest state update, but California’s standard took effect on July 1, 2026, and Congress still has a national bill pending. For now, consumers in different states may continue to see different language until more legislatures or Congress act.