AB-2779 • 2026

Food labeling: quality dates, safety dates, and sell-by dates.

Agriculture

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Committee on Agriculture (A) - (Assembly Members Soria (Chair), Hadwick (Vice Chair), Aguiar-Curry, Alanis, Connolly, Jeff Gonzalez, Irwin, and Ransom)
Last action: 2026-04-16
Official status: From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (April 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information on penalties or enforcement mechanisms for non-compliance with the date labeling requirements.

Food Date Labels

AB-2779 sets rules for how food labels show dates related to quality and safety after July 1, 2026, and it says that 'sell by' labels are not allowed.

What This Bill Does

Requires food makers, processors, or sellers to use specific words on date labels if they choose to put a date label on food items made after July 1, 2026.
Doesn't allow anyone to sell food with quality or safety dates that don't follow the rules set by this bill.
Prohibits using 'sell by' as a phrase on any food labels.

Who It Names or Affects

Food manufacturers, processors, and retailers who put date labels on their products.
People buying food items for human consumption.

Terms To Know

Quality dates: Dates that tell when a product is at its best quality.
Safety dates: Dates that indicate the last day food should be consumed to ensure safety.

Limits and Unknowns

Does not apply to dietary supplements.
The exact terms for date labels are not provided in this summary and would need to be found in the full bill text.

Bill History

2026-04-16 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (April 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2026-03-16 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on AGRI.
2026-03-06 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be heard in committee April 5.
2026-03-05 California Legislative Information
Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 2779, as introduced, Committee on Agriculture.
Food labeling: quality dates, safety dates, and sell-by dates.
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.
This bill would provide that a food item for human consumption does not include a dietary supplement, as defined.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Download Bill PDF