Should Utah Follow California With NEW Sell By Date Law?
Food Packaging Sell by Date Confusion
California just passed a law that regulates the sell by and expiration dates that are put on products. The law is supposed to clear up the confusion consumers have about the dates. According to the sponsor of the bill the dates have caused people to throw away many products that are still good.
According to Fox40 there are over 50 different ways these dates are listed and described on different food labels. The new law aims to simplify how the sell dates are phrased and what they describe. The new wording will lessen food waste from people misunderstanding what the date means.
Should Utah Follow with a Similar Law
Food labels can be confusing. Many of them are there for the grocer to know when a product should be pulled from the shelves and not for the consumer. Others seem to be kind of iffy like the ones on pop cans. Does that ever go bad?
I think this could be helpful if it doesn’t become another thing manufacturers have to do that increases their costs. Mainly because those costs will ultimately be handed down to me and you as a price increase.
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Utah may not even need to make a law. With California’s huge population, chances are the manufacturers will make the change to all their products wherever they are sold including the beehive state. The law is set to go into effect on July 1, 2026.