A Small Change for a Big Impact: How California AB660 is Tackling Food Waste

You’ve probably seen small text on the packaging of your favorite products – like “sell by,” “use by,” or “best before.” Starting this July, that language is getting a refresh. In September of 2024, California Assembly Bill 660 was passed to introduce standardized expiration dates across packaged food and starting July 1, 2026, this will finally take effect. This change comes as an effort by the state to minimize food waste by standardizing terminology. Clear labeling will help you know whether a product is still safe to eat or simply past its peak flavor.

Under this law, you’ll see two different types of date labels:

• “Best if Used by” or “BB” where space is limited
• “Use by” or “UB” where space is limited

“Best if Used by” will refer to food quality, meaning your product will taste best during this window. “Use by” refers to food safety, meaning you should not consume the product after the printed date. Milk and dairy products will receive a quality date, meaning you’ll see the “BB” or “Best if Used By” on most Clover Sonoma products sold at retail.

At Clover Sonoma, we deeply value sustainable efforts and reducing our waste. AB 660 will alleviate consumer confusion by better communicating peak freshness of unopened products.  The “Best if Used by” date will continue to apply only to unopened items. Once opened, most dairy products should still be consumed within about a week.

What does this mean for Clover Sonoma products? Our commitment to safe, high quality dairy remains the same. This change is all about making things clearer for the consumer, so you can enjoy our products at their freshest, best-tasting.

Email us anytime at connect@cloversonoma.com with any questions or feedback. 

Email us anytime at connect@cloversonoma.com with any questions or feedback.