Bill Full Text
Home
-
Bills
-
Bill
-
Authors
-
Dates
-
Locations
-
Analyses
-
Organizations
<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<ns0:MeasureDoc xmlns:html="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:ns0="http://lc.ca.gov/legalservices/schemas/caml.1#" xmlns:ns3="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" version="1.0" xsi:schemaLocation="http://lc.ca.gov/legalservices/schemas/caml.1# xca.1.xsd">
<ns0:Description>
<ns0:Id>20250AB__277999INT</ns0:Id>
<ns0:VersionNum>99</ns0:VersionNum>
<ns0:History>
<ns0:Action>
<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-03-05</ns0:ActionDate>
</ns0:Action>
</ns0:History>
<ns0:LegislativeInfo>
<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
<ns0:SessionNum>0</ns0:SessionNum>
<ns0:MeasureType>AB</ns0:MeasureType>
<ns0:MeasureNum>2779</ns0:MeasureNum>
<ns0:MeasureState>INT</ns0:MeasureState>
</ns0:LegislativeInfo>
<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Committee on Agriculture (Assembly Members Soria (Chair), Hadwick (Vice Chair), Aguiar-Curry, Alanis, Connolly, Jeff Gonzalez, Irwin, and Ransom)</ns0:AuthorText>
<ns0:Authors>
<ns0:Committee>
<ns0:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Committee on Agriculture</ns0:Name>
<ns0:Members>Assembly Members Soria (Chair), Hadwick (Vice Chair), Aguiar-Curry, Alanis, Connolly, Jeff Gonzalez, Irwin, and Ransom</ns0:Members>
</ns0:Committee>
</ns0:Authors>
<ns0:Title> An act to amend Section 82001 of the Food and Agricultural Code, relating to food labeling. </ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>food labeling</ns0:RelatingClause>
<ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:Subject>Food labeling: quality dates, safety dates, and sell-by dates.</ns0:Subject>
</ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:DigestText>
<html:p>Existing law requires, on and after July 1, 2026, a food manufacturer, processor, or retailer responsible for the labeling of food items for human consumption that chooses, or is otherwise required by law, to display a date label to communicate a quality or safety date on a food item manufactured on or after July 1, 2026, to use specified uniform terms on the date label, as provided. Existing law prohibits a person from selling or offering for sale in the state a food item for human consumption manufactured on or after July 1, 2026, that displays a quality or safety date label that is not labeled in accordance with that requirement or that is labeled with the phrase “sell by,” as specified.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would provide that a food item for human consumption does not include a dietary supplement, as defined.</html:p>
</ns0:DigestText>
<ns0:DigestKey>
<ns0:VoteRequired>MAJORITY</ns0:VoteRequired>
<ns0:Appropriation>NO</ns0:Appropriation>
<ns0:FiscalCommittee>YES</ns0:FiscalCommittee>
<ns0:LocalProgram>NO</ns0:LocalProgram>
</ns0:DigestKey>
<ns0:MeasureIndicators>
<ns0:ImmediateEffect>NO</ns0:ImmediateEffect>
<ns0:ImmediateEffectFlags>
<ns0:Urgency>NO</ns0:Urgency>
<ns0:TaxLevy>NO</ns0:TaxLevy>
<ns0:Election>NO</ns0:Election>
<ns0:UsualCurrentExpenses>NO</ns0:UsualCurrentExpenses>
<ns0:BudgetBill>NO</ns0:BudgetBill>
<ns0:Prop25TrailerBill>NO</ns0:Prop25TrailerBill>
</ns0:ImmediateEffectFlags>
</ns0:MeasureIndicators>
</ns0:Description>
<ns0:Bill id="bill">
<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
<ns0:BillSection id="id_EE29FF5E-FF35-455D-9D42-41811C62C82A">
<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:ActionLine action="IS_AMENDED" ns3:type="locator" ns3:href="urn:caml:codes:FAC:caml#xpointer(%2Fcaml%3ALawDoc%2Fcaml%3ACode%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'DIVISION'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'25.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawSection%5Bcaml%3ANum%3D'82001.'%5D)" ns3:label="fractionType: LAW_SECTION">
Section 82001 of the
<ns0:DocName>Food and Agricultural Code</ns0:DocName>
is amended to read:
</ns0:ActionLine>
<ns0:Fragment>
<ns0:LawSection id="id_B8B549CA-1071-4768-BA47-16BC675D732C">
<ns0:Num>82001.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:LawSectionVersion id="id_142AC004-1317-47C8-9A71-DB949ACB1BC0">
<ns0:Content>
<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
On and after July 1, 2026, a food manufacturer, processor, or retailer responsible for the labeling of food items for human consumption that chooses, or is otherwise required by law, to display a date label to communicate a quality or safety date on a food item manufactured on or after July 1, 2026, shall use one of the following uniform terms on the date label:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“BEST if Used by” or “BEST if Used or Frozen by” to indicate the quality date of the food item.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“USE by” or “USE by or Freeze by” to indicate the safety date of the food item.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“BB” to indicate the quality date of the food item if the food item is too small to
include the uniform term described in paragraph (1) or if the food item is a beverage as defined in Section 14504 of the Public Resources Code.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“UB” to indicate the safety date of the food item if the food item is too small to include the uniform term described in paragraph (2).
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A person shall not sell or offer for sale in the state a food item for human consumption manufactured on or after July 1, 2026, that displays a quality or safety date label that is not labeled in accordance with subdivision (a).
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A person shall not sell or offer for sale in the state a food item for human consumption manufactured on or after July 1, 2026, that is labeled with the phrase “sell by.” This paragraph does not prohibit the use of “sell by” dates that are presented in a coded format that are not
easily readable by consumers and that do not use the phrase “sell by.”
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The department may accept nonstate funds from public and private sources to, on its internet website, educate consumers about the meaning of the quality dates and safety dates specified in this section.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Funds accepted by the department pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be deposited into the Consumer Education Account, which is hereby created in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, all funds in the Consumer Education Account are hereby continuously appropriated to the department without regard to fiscal years to carry out the purpose provided in paragraph (1).
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
This section does not prohibit, and shall not be construed to discourage, the sale, donation, or use of food after the food’s quality date pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) has passed. A retail food facility may donate a food item for human consumption that is not labeled in accordance with this section.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Unless otherwise required by law, this section shall not be construed to require the use or display of a date label on a food item for human consumption unless the food item displays a date label.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
This section does not prohibit the use or display of a label that allows consumers to view online information about a food item for human consumption.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Notwithstanding subdivisions (a) and (b), on and after July 1, 2026, a grocery store may display a label with the phrase “packed on”
on a prepared food item and may sell or offer for sale in the state the prepared food item with that label if the prepared food item also displays a quality or safety date label in accordance with subdivision (a).
</html:p>
<html:p>
(5)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
This section does not prohibit a person from displaying on wine, a distilled spirit, or a wine- or distilled spirit-based product bottled or packaged on or after July 1, 2026, a label with a statement that communicates the date on which the wine, distilled spirit, or wine- or distilled spirit-based product was produced, manufactured, bottled, or packaged, or from selling or offering for sale in the state the wine, distilled spirit, or wine- or distilled spirit-based product with that label. The statement may use date formats, including, but not limited to, dates in a time, day, month, and year format and Julian dates.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(6)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
To the extent that any other law or a
National Shellfish Sanitation Program provision governing the labeling of shellfish authorizes or requires the use of terms that conflict, or are inconsistent, with this section, this section does not apply.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(e)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
This section does not apply to any of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Infant formula.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Eggs or pasteurized in-shell eggs.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Beer and other malt beverages.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(f)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“Food item for human consumption” does not include a dietary supplement as defined in Section 321(ff) of Title 21 of the
United States Code.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“Grocery store” means a store engaged in the retail sale of canned food, dry goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, and fresh meats, fish, and poultry and any area that is not separately owned within the store where food is prepared and served, including a bakery, deli, and meat and seafood counter.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“Prepared food item” means a food item for human consumption prepared or repackaged on a grocery store’s premises, using any cooking or food preparation technique.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(g)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
If and to the extent that any provision of this section is preempted by federal law, the provision does not apply and shall not be enforced.
</html:p>
</ns0:Content>
</ns0:LawSectionVersion>
</ns0:LawSection>
</ns0:Fragment>
</ns0:BillSection>
</ns0:Bill>
</ns0:MeasureDoc>