California AB 660 Date Labels: Everything Food Manufacturers Need to Know About "BEST if Used By" Labels

Effective July 1, 2026, California's AB 660 law encourages food manufacturers and retailers to simplify food date labeling by using standardized wording. If your business packages, labels, or sells food products, now is the perfect time to ensure your date labels comply with current industry recommendations.

At Infinity Labels, we manufacture high-quality BEST if Used By and USE By labels for virtually every brand of price gun and label applicator, helping businesses stay current with changing labeling standards.

What Is California AB 660?

California Assembly Bill 660 was introduced to reduce consumer confusion surrounding food date labels and help decrease unnecessary food waste.

Consumers have long been faced with dozens of different phrases on food packaging, including:

• Best Before

• Sell By

• Enjoy By

• Guaranteed Fresh

• Better if Used By

• Expires On

Many shoppers mistakenly interpret these quality dates as food safety dates, causing millions of pounds of perfectly good food to be discarded each year.

To address this issue, California now encourages manufacturers to use only two standardized consumer-facing date labels.

The Two Recommended Food Date Labels

BEST if Used By

Use BEST if Used By when the printed date refers to product quality.

This means the product may not be at its highest quality after the printed date, but it is generally still safe to consume when properly stored.

Examples include:

• Snacks

• Dry foods

• Coffee

• Cereal

• Frozen foods

• Condiments

• Packaged baked goods

USE By

Use USE By only when the printed date relates to food safety, typically for highly perishable products.

Examples may include:

• Fresh prepared meals

• Certain dairy products

• Ready-to-eat refrigerated foods

Which Date Labels Should You Stop Using?

California AB 660 discourages many previously common quality-related phrases, including:

• Best Before

• Better if Used By

• Enjoy By

• Guaranteed Fresh

• Expires On (when referring to quality)

• Sell By (when displayed to consumers)

Replacing these with standardized wording creates greater consistency and helps consumers better understand the meaning of the date.

Recommended Date Label Format

For quality dates, California recommends using:

BEST if Used By: MM/DD/YYYY

or

BEST if Used By: JUL 15 2027

The wording should appear exactly as:

BEST if Used By

This standardized format is becoming the preferred choice for food manufacturers across the United States.

This Isn't Just a California Trend

In 2017, the Consumer Brands Association and FMI – The Food Industry Association recommended that manufacturers voluntarily standardize food date labels nationwide by using only:

• BEST if Used By for quality

• USE By for safety

Many national food brands have already adopted these terms on products sold throughout the United States, making them the de facto industry standard.

Custom BEST if Used By Labels for Price Guns

If you're looking for BEST if Used By labels, USE By labels, or food date labels for your price gun, Infinity Labels can help.

We manufacture custom labels for virtually every major pricing gun and labeling system, including labels for:

• Monarch® price guns

• Garvey® labelers

• Open Data label guns

• Blitz labelers

• Sato labelers

• Towa label applicators

• And many other popular brands

Our labels are available in:

• Custom sizes

• Standard sizes

• Multiple colors

• Permanent or removable adhesive

• Custom printed text

• Sequential numbering (when required)

Whether you need a few rolls or large production quantities, we can manufacture labels to meet your exact specifications.

Why Choose Infinity Labels?

Businesses across the United States choose Infinity Labels because we offer:

• Premium-quality labels

• Competitive pricing

• Fast production

• Custom manufacturing

• Labels compatible with virtually every price gun

• Expert assistance selecting the correct label

Whether you're a food manufacturer, grocery store, bakery, deli, distributor, warehouse, or packaging facility, we can supply the labels you need.

Order Your BEST if Used By Labels Today

As California AB 660 continues to influence food labeling practices nationwide, now is an excellent time to standardize your packaging with BEST if Used By and USE By labels.

Infinity Labels manufactures custom and stock labels for virtually every price gun, making it easy to update your labeling process without changing your equipment.

Need help identifying the correct label for your price gun? Contact Infinity Labels today. We'll help you select the right size, color, adhesive, and format for your application.