California outlaws 'sell by,' betting clearer labels will shrink food waste (nytimes.com)
The phrase 'sell by' was never meant for shoppers; it tells a store when to rotate stock, yet shoppers read it as an expiration date and toss good food.
California's fix standardizes the wording. The thread's asterisk: stores can keep 'sell by' dates if they're coded for staff, so a shopper may lose the one clue that stock is old.
Several call it a near-nothing law. A small clarity gain, at best.
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